Military, police say Central Visayas remains safe

CEBU, Philippines — Following the twin bombings in Jolo, Sulu last Monday, the Central Command (CentCom) and the police have assured the public that Central Visayas is still safe but urged the public to remain vigilant.

Captain Joe Patrick Martinez, commander of the 3rd Civil Relation Group of CentCom, said that the recent passing of the anti-terror bill has served its timing that allows the AFP to have the “tools” against any attempt of disrupting the peace and development in Visayas.

“With that, aside sa current effort ng pandemic, tuloy-tuloy naman ang ating mga naval units, and yung coastguards. Lahat yan, to secure yung maritime seas.. our troops should have full security,” Martinez told reporters.

According to Martinez, the authorities have initially assessed that Region 7 is still “safe.” However, he urged the public to remain alert since security is a shared responsibility.

“People should also be alert din sa palibot. We give this constant reminder din sa publiko that any suspicious individual or situation sa kanilang paligid ay dapat nirereport nila,” said Martinez.

He further said that what happened in Jolo should not also happen in Central Visayas since any areas can still be vulnerable to attacks and vigilance could create a huge difference.

He added that this vigilance must start with observing the cleanliness in the community since any critical and crowded areas could be a spot for planting any explosive devices.

Martinez said planted explosives may be easily spotted if the community is cleaner.

Meanwhile, Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, Police Regional Office (PRO)-7 chief, has directed his personnel to stay on alert by monitoring the critical infrastructures to prevent any terrorism activities.

“We issued a directive to be more alert and vigilant because of that incident in Jolo,” said Ferro in a separate interview.

“All critical infrastructures like the power, energy, water, the airport, the seaport should be properly secured by the police units in their particular AOR (area of responsibility),” he added.

Ferro has also assured the public that no signs of terrorism have been monitored by the PNP here in Central Visayas. — JMD (FREEMAN)