[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Anything suspicious? Text the coastguard’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RESEL JOY TIANERO
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Thursday, June 8, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
ILOILO City – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Iloilo has made available two mobile phone numbers through which people could channel information if they have observed anything unusual or suspicious in their areas, particularly those in coastal communities.
The numbers are 09471586390 and 09265911877.
PCG-Iloilo has been placed on round-the-clock alert each day, said Lieutenant Commander Ramil Palabrica, right after Mindanao was placed under martial law two weeks ago. On May 23, the Maute terror group attacked Marawi City.
“Galibot kami sa mga piers, ga-roving kami 24 hours,” said Palabrica.
Among other areas, PCG-Iloilo is watchful of the seaports and waters of Guimaras island-province, the northern Iloilo towns of Carles, Ajuy and Concepcion, and even Negros Occidental, particularly Pulupandan town, Silay and Sagay cities.
It is coordinating with the Police Regional Office 6, Maritime Industry Authority, Philippine Ports Authority, Iloilo City government, management of the Guimaras-Iloilo Ferry Terminal, shipping lines, and motorboat associations.
The regional police said there was no truth to text messages that members of the Maute group were now in Western Visayas.
“Do not entertain those messages. Panloloko lang ‘yan,” said Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, regional police director.
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./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
