DAVIDE
IN the light of the nationwide extreme terrorist alert raised Thursday night following the foiled bombing attempt in Metro Manila, the Cebu provincial government is urging the public to be vigilant and to remain calm.
Gov. Hilario Davide III, in a statement released Friday afternoon, implored the public not to panic while staying cautious.
“In the midst of the nationwide Terror Alert Level 3 of the Philippine National Police (PNP), I appeal to our fellow Cebuanos to keep calm and resume to your daily activities with caution and vigilance,” he said.
“It is the PNP’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to put the whole forces in extreme alert following a desperate bomb threat near the US Embassy in Metro Manila. This procedure is for our safety and security,” he added.
Davide explained that the procedure entails setting up police mobile checkpoints in various areas across the province in time for the Christmas season.
“In the Province of Cebu, rest assured that there is no cause for alarm,” the governor stressed.
He assured he and all the other officials and offices in the province will maintain a “24-hour vigilance against suspicious behavior and terrorist threats.”
“Again, resume to your daily activities, enjoy the Christmas season. Don’t be alarmed but always be alert,” he said.
Provincial Tourism Officer Boboi Costas, on the other hand, said it will be “business as usual” for the province’s tourism industry.
“Basically, business as usual,” he said. “I don’t think there’s an effect for domestic tourism but again, if this is picked up by the international media, I would think that there’s going to be a slight problem. But I don’t think that’s going to be so because the government has assured us that everything’s fine, that people need not fear in going out.”
But he said the public should also not let their guards down.
“We need to be vigilant in terms of security that’s why there is really a need for the grassroots to be vigilant always and to report to the authorities if there is someone or something suspicious in their communities. In this times, we’re calling all the communities to be cooperative, to be vigilant, to be watchful and report to the authorities whatever, suspicious person or thing, in their community so that the authorities can address it, so that it can be addressed the soonest. Just be vigilant.”