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| Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte |
ABS CBN which quoted Davao City vice mayor Paolo Duterte, the son of President Duterte, as saying reported on Thursday that the City is under ISIS threat and that they are now intensifying intelligence monitoring to further verify information.
The young Duterte said he has already communicated with the police and military to look into the veracity of the information and ordered Task Force Davao and Davao City Police Office to beef up security.
The vice mayor also advised the public to remain calm and vigilant.
The intelligence and monitoring operations of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) and the Armed Forces’ Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) are also on alert amid the reported threat.
EastMinCom spokesperson Major Ezra Balagtey said that the threat allegedly issued by ISIS against Davao City has yet to be verified, but admitted that threats against Davao City are always present as the area is adjacent to known trouble spots in Western Mindanao, such as Maguindanao and Sulu.
Balagtey added that the “Panacañang” or the DPWH depot in Panacan that serves as President Duterte’s office in Davao have also been placed under Armed Forces of the Philippines' watch.
“EastMinCom have directed subordinates to intensify intelligence and monitoring in Davao considering that this is his (Duterte’s) showcase,” Balagtey said.
Philippine Coast Guard – Davao’s Lt. Commander Restituto Concio Jr. said BRP Ilocos Norte, a 35-meter coast guard vessel, is docked in Sta. Ana Wharf “to serve as a deterrent and to provide added security whenever the president comes home to Davao.”
“It (BRP Ilocos Norte) came from Zamboanga. It is capable of search and rescue and maritime patrol,” Concio said.
Balagtey said military personnel based in Davao “have been on their toes since President Duterte emerged as the leading candidate in pre-election surveys.”
“With or without the threat, we have intensified our anti-terrorism efforts in Davao City because the Kadayawan (festival) draws near, and because of the frequent stay of President Duterte here,” Balagtey said.
But DCPO public information office head, Police Inspector Catherine Dela Rey assured the public that there is no cause for alarm.
“As of today (Thursday), we still enjoy the peace and order in Davao City. Intelligence units have always been in place. The order was for us to intensify police visibility, and monitoring of insurgent groups,” Dela Rey said.
The DCPO also asked for the public’s support by “reporting suspicious persons who have recently moved into communities.”
Last month, the Davao City Police released a terrorist watchlist ahead of the thanksgiving party of then President-elect Duterte on June 4, after they received reports that members of the ISIS-linked Islamiyah Movement are currently in Mindanao.
Davao City Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Milgrace Driz said Islamiyah Movement had been involved in bombings in Cotabato and Cagayan de Oro City and kidnappings in the Island Garden City of Samal.
The thanksgiving party, which was attended by at least half a million people, went smoothly.
Meanwhile, the Philippine government expressed solidarity with the people of Bangladesh after a bloody hostage-taking incident that left 20 people dead.
“The Philippines condemns in the strongest terms the 01 July 2016 hostage-taking incident in Bangladesh,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement issued to reporters in Manila.
“The siege in Dhaka is a serious atrocity committed against peace-loving nations and peoples,” it said. “The Philippines expresses its solidarity with the Government and people of Bangladesh and extends sincere condolences to the victims’ families.”
Twenty hostages were killed when heavily armed men stormed a restaurant in Dhaka, popular among foreigners, and held people captive during a 10-hour standoff. Also killed were six attackers and two police officers.
According to the SITE Intelligence Group, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has already claimed the attack.
DFA said there were no Filipinos hurt or affected by the incident. Nevertheless, the embassy in the area has issued an advisory to Filipino nationals to “exercise caution.”
It added that Alert Level 1, which advises Filipinos to take precaution, remains in effect in Bangladesh since it was issued in October 2015. Alert Level 1 is issued by the DFA “when there are valid signs of internal disturbance, instability, and external threat to the host country.”
