CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) Director Erson Digal is confident that the security measures being implemented at the Cebu South Bus Terminal is enough to prevent any possible attacks from criminal elements including terrorist groups.
Digal, who inspected yesterday the security at the terminal, said he was satisfied by the measures adopted by the terminal management.
Ten personnel from the Special Reaction Unit of the CPPO were already deployed at the south bus terminal since Wednesday following the bombing of a passenger bus in Makati City Tuesday afternoon wherein five people were killed and 13 others were injured.
The additional SRU personnel serve as an augmentation to the existing security personnel of the terminal. Aside from the police personnel deployed at the terminal there were also 10 blue guards hired by the Capitol that check the bags and cargoes of the passengers.Each passenger coming into the terminal is also subjected to a thorough frisking to ensure the safety of the public.
“So far way problema kay I directed my personnel to check every cargoes and baggage kada naay musulod sa terminal,” Digal said.
CSBT operations manager Carmen Quijano said they have also installed six closed-circuit television cameras to help the security personnel in the monitoring of the people coming in and out of the facility.
“I am happy nga naay hugot nga seguridad kay naka-boost sa mga tao,” she said.
Aside from the south bus terminal, security in Cebu’s seaports and airports were also beefed-up immediately after the Makati incident.
Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) general manager Paul Villarete ordered a stricter security measure within the airport’s jurisdiction.
Vehicles going to the airport compound are subjected to visual search on aside from the bomb-sniffing dogs that were deployed at the checkpoint area on the road leading to the airport.
Villarete also directed the personnel manning the X-ray machines at the pre-departure area to be always on alert of possible smuggling of explosives.
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe said they have also coordinated with the Cebu Ports Authority (CPA) and the Philippine Coast Guard to secure the seaports.
He said that personnel from the centralized beat patrol system have been roving the port area to ensure the passengers’ safety.
“Pasahero lang ang amo kay the responsible unit like the CPA and the coastguard will take care other concerns inside the port,” Buenafe said. (FREEMAN)