Police on full alert vs terrorist attack

The police are intensifying intelligence operations amid reported threats of terrorist attacks in Metro Manila while the Southeast Asian Games is in progress.

However, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) intelligence chief Senior Superintendent Felipe Rojas Jr. clarified that there is no terrorist threat as far as the SEA Games is concerned.

Nevertheless, police are firming up preparations because of the general terrorist threat in the region.

"Our preparations are due to the ongoing terrorist threat in the region," said Rojas, citing the recent terrorist attack in Bali, Indonesia which left scores of people dead.

Anti-terrorist units of the NCRPO have been coordinating with their foreign counterparts to ensure that the SEA Games would be orderly and peaceful when it is staged Nov. 27-Dec.5 in Manila and three other satellite venues.

The British embassy and the Philippine Center for Transnational Crimes (PCTC) are conducting an incident management seminar to train at least 40 law enforcers, local government and government agencies personnel to deal with terrorist attacks and disasters.

"The participants are trained to handle casualties during terrorist attacks or when disaster hits the country," said Rojas, referring to the four-day seminar at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Roxas Blvd.

Aside from police and local government units, other participants came from the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP).

Rojas said the NCRPO intelligence agents are also conducting threat assessment and target hardening drills to secure public places, games sites and hotels where athletes from competing countries would be billeted. "Majority of the games will be held in Metro Manila so we also have to secure a big number of hotels where the athletes would be housed," said Rojas, adding that police visibility would be high in these areas during the Games.

Earlier, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said at least 15,000 policemen would secure the Games.

The NCRPO preparations, like coordinating with security guards, building administrators, barangay officials, and mass transport operators and liaisoning with other anti-terrorist units and their foreign counterparts, would be a continuing process until the Games end.