FOUR navy vessels and at least two helicopters patrolled the towns of Argao and Oslob in southern Cebu and Dumaguete City in Negros Occidental while Central Command and police personnel set up sea blockades in the mainland yesterday.
The show of force was part of a simulation exercise organized by the Police Regional Office (PRO-7) and Central Command (Centcom) to assure tourists that Cebu remains a safe tourist destination.
In its Facebook page, Centcom said they staged a simulation exercise involving a kidnapping of tourists by Abu Sayyaf bandits and showed how they would handle such a scenario.
Centcom spokesperson Luzvimindo Mamanuag said the simulation was done in coordination with the West Mindanao Command and Camp Aguinaldo.
“What if there are threats? What are we supposed to do? The simulation exercise gave us an idea of how to respond to unlawful acts (like terrorism or kidnapping),” he said.
Mamauag said the same procedures will be used when there are threats in northern Cebu.
The US embassy issued an advisory last month asking their citizens to avoid going to southern Cebu towns including Sumilon Island in Argao town citing kidnapping threats.
Mamauag said Cebu remains safe from any threats, but they wanted to prepare for possible kidnapping and terrorism threats here.
Earlier, Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), repeatedly insisted that they have not so far monitored any terrorist threats in Central Visayas.