CEBU UNDER TIGHT WATCH

DRILL. A bomb-sniffing dog is called after suspicious items were found inside a toilet at the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) office while top police and military officers were holding a pre-Asean security conference at the CPA building along North Reclamation Area, Cebu City, on June 27, 2017. The bomb threat turned out to be false. The quick response by government forces was later dubbed as a security drill for the Asean meeting by Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, the police director in Central Visayas.
CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO

ASEAN SENIOR MINISTERS’ MEETING

Starting today, expect more policemen on the road and greater number of checkpoints across Cebu City and province as the government prepares to host about 300 foreign officials attending another round of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting in Cebu City next week.

Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) director, said that over 4,300 personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and other government agencies composed the Task Group Cebu that will secure the Asean 2017 senior ministers’ meeting set in a posh hotel in Cebu City from July 1 to 7.

The law enforcers will be augmented by 246 personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) as well as medical teams that can readily respond to any emergencies that can happen in Cebu for the duration of the meeting, added Fire Senior Supt. Samuel Tadeo.

“Our initial count is that Task Group will be composed of more than 4,300. However, we might upgrade our security and deploy more personnel. It’s possible the deployment will reach 5,000,” Taliño told reporters yesterday partly in Filipino.

The Task Group is divided into three: Task Group Security, Task Group Peace and Order and Task Group Emergency and Preparedness.

But Taliño said personnel who will be deployed will all come from the different units in Central Visayas, saying they saw no need to bring in augmentation forces from other regions at this time.

Pooled resources

Cebu City Councilor David Tumulak, on the other hand, said the city government is closely coordinating with the PNP to ensure that nothing untoward will happen as the city hosts the Asean meeting.

Tumulak, the deputy mayor on peace and order, said that all available resources of the city will be accessible for the security of the Asean meeting.

The personnel resources would include traffic enforcers as there could be possible rerouting when the meeting starts.

The Task Group is also considering shutting down the cell phone signal during the weeklong meeting.

However, Taliño said there is no concrete plan on the matter since they are still waiting for the threat assessment that will come from the intelligence units of the region.

Taliño admitted their security preparations also took into account the ongoing war in Marawi City, in case terrorism could “spill over” to Cebu.

At the moment, however, Taliño assured that Central Visayas, and Cebu in particular, remains safe.

Capitol preparations

But even as Taliño has dismissed as unverified the so-called leaked “confidential report” of a nationwide terror attack by the Islamic State–inspired groups on June 30, the Cebu provincial government is not taking any chances and has opted to increase security measures in the province, especially with the Asean meeting closing in.

Acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale yesterday announced they were beefing up security on government-owned properties, such as the Cebu Capitol and municipal halls around Cebu province.

“From our side in the Capitol, yes we are already heightening our security on government establishments. If you remember what happened in Marawi, the Maute Group invaded their City Hall first. … Definitely, we should not take for granted any possible threats to our security,” she added.

In earlier reports, unverified information alleging that big cities in the country will be under attack on June 30 went the rounds on social media, and became viral.

This led officials from the Capitol and the PNP to alert the public for any suspicious activities as well as urging them to stop spreading false and unverified claims.

The upcoming Asean meeting will be composed of senior ministers from Asean-member states, namely the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

“We trust our (police) regional director and provincial director to be doing their jobs (to secure the Asean meeting in Cebu). In fact, I just came from Badian and saw checkpoints were already installed there by our law enforcers,” added Magpale.

Although Capitol has to spend money to beef up security in several places around Cebu, the province’s acting governor said the money spent will not be useless.

“It’s a fact that we have to spend money to tighten our security. However, it’s for the greater good — it will not go to waste. Even if Chief Superintendent Taliño dismissed the rumors of a big, nationwide attack this June 30, he told us that it pays to be vigilant,” added Magpale.

The provincial government would also like to check security policies of resorts where tourists frequent, she said.

“Because when I was in Badian, there’s an island there whose proximity is very close to the mainland. It can be accessible by a pump boat, and we want to make sure that area there is also secured,” Magpale said.

Capitol Civil Security Unit (CSU) head Roberto “Bobby” Legaspi yesterday confirmed they have been increasing security in public places and government facilities across Cebu province.

“We want to be vigilant on other areas aside the Capitol. We already coordinated with (the management) of the Cebu South Bus Terminal, in Larsian (province-owned food complex along Fuente Osmeña area in Cebu City) and of course the establishments of our local government units,” said Legaspi.

Medical, rescue teams

Meanwhile, Tadeo said the BFP in Cebu will get an augmentation team from their national office to help state forces secure the Asean meeting venue and its neighboring areas.

So far, he said, the BFP has already sent to Cebu a special rescue unit composed of 30 personnel, a Hazmat van and an ambulance that will be deployed to and around the Asean meeting venue.

He said they were expecting about 400 personnel from the National Capital Region as part of the augmentation force that they are putting together in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

The rescue unit personnel are trained to handle emergencies, such as victims of explosion or fire-related incidents, he said.
Aside from the deployed personnel, Tadeo said they also readied 19 emergency vehicles.

‘Simulation exercise’

Yesterday the final interagency coordination meeting of Task Group Cebu was conducted at the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) compound along the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City.

However, the meeting was halted for over 40 minutes after a suspicious paper bag was found inside the comfort room of the CPA building.

The participants of the interagency coordination meeting were asked to leave the building as the Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel checked the bag.

The paper bag turned out to contain only canisters of air fresheners for the comfort room.

Lawyer Yuspo Uckung, legal officer of CPA, said one of the janitors left the freshener inside the trash can in the comfort room without realizing it could be mistaken for explosives.

Taliño, after it was confirmed that there was no threat to their safety, yesterday decided to treat the situation as a simulation exercise for the police preparing to secure the Asean meeting.