Police in Luzon and the Visayas were placed under heightened alert status to prevent a spillover of bomb attacks following the deadly cathedral bombings in Sulu Sunday.
Senior Supt. Bernard Banac, spokesperson of the Philippine National Police, said the alert status order mandates all police commanders to implement the necessary preventive measures that would deny any group to carry out similar attacks in their turfs.
“The alert condition aims to ensure that no similar plans of terrorist groups will be carried out in other regions,” said Banac.
Under the heightened alert status, all police commanders are directed to ensure the readiness of at least 50 percent of their manpower and other resources for any eventuality and preventive security measures.
The police commanders are also tasked to review and update their respective intelligence data and gathering.
“The heightened alert condition also called for intensified checkpoint operations and strict implementation of gun ban,” said Banac.
Banac said that they have not received serious threats of bomb attacks in Metro Manila or any other part of the country outside Mindanao. But he said they are not taking any chances.
“Regional directors were instructed to initiate further security measures to preempt and prevent similar incidents to happen,” said Banac. “Our regional directors were also given discretionary authority to raise alert conditions in their areas of responsibility as deemed necessary,” he added. (Aaron Recuenco)
