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[av_heading heading=’TEXT PRANK SOWS FEAR | No Maute terrorists in Region 6 – Binag’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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Monday, May 29, 2017
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ILOILO City – There was no truth to text messages that members of the Maute terrorist group were now in Western Visayas, according to Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, director of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).
“Do not entertain those messages. Panloloko lang ‘yan,” said Binag.
One of these text messages in Cebuano read: “Membro sa Maute group spotted kanina sa Gaisano mall gapalit og daghan batteries. Daghan na daw na sila dri kina pa sa isa ang na sure nakita naa ba sa mga hotel kun mag assemble sa bomba.”
“Don’t panic. But people have to remain vigilant,” said Binag.
The police director said the text messages may have come from pranksters or people who wanted to sow fear.
“We have monitored similar text messages. We made validations and they turned out to be pranks,” said Binag.
The PRO-6 had not monitored security threats and neither had it detected any member of the Maute group in the region, he stressed.
Tuesday last week, the Maute group attacked Marawi City. President Rodrigo Duterte quickly placed the entire Mindanao on martial law to contain the violence in the southern city.
The PRO-6, however, was not leaving anything to chance. It beefed up security measures in the region’s entry points such as airports and seaports. On Saturday, it deployed more policemen to seaports in northern Iloilo.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines, Maritime Command and Philippine Coast Guard were helping PRO-6.
“We have enough men to secure our seaports,” said Binag.
Last week, a hundred officers of the PRO-6’s Regional Public Safety Battalion started preparing for a possible deployment to Marawi City.
Meanwhile, Binag’s deputy regional director for operations, Senior Superintendent Christopher Tambungan, inspected bus and jeepney terminals.
With PRO-6 spokesperson Superintendent Gilbert Gorero, Tambungan went inside the Iloilo Airport and talked to airport security personnel.
The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) also deployed a six-man Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team to the Iloilo Airport.
Because the PRO-6 is on full alert, no policemen are allowed to take leaves except for those who are sick.
Gorero urged civilians to report to the police anything suspicious in their communities.
“The situation (in Mindanao) is under the government control but we need to strengthen our security (in Western Visayas) because we have tourist spots and we need to protect the tourists,” he said./PN
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