Bato inspects MRT, other transport facilities

MANILA, Philippines - Commuters of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 were caught by surprise yesterday when Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa took a jampacked MRT train to inspect security in transport facilities for the Holy Week rush.

Dela Rosa, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Oscar Albayalde and other police officials rode a crowded MRT train at the Cubao station in Quezon City towards the Taft Ave. station in Pasay City.

Dela Rosa’s security escorts and media forced their way inside the already congested coach to catch up with the PNP chief.

Commuters took out their cell phones and took photographs of Dela Rosa, who mingled with the passengers and assured them of their safety.

Some of the passengers posed for selfies with Dela Rosa.

“All of you are safe. Don’t be afraid. Everybody’s working, your government is working, your security force is working,” he said.

Dela Rosa initially stood with the passengers but later took a seat at the Ortigas station.

He said that it was his first time to ride an MRT train since he became PNP chief.

Dela Rosa recalled that he rode the MRT when he went to Camp Crame several years ago.

He chatted with a woman seated beside him.

“I feel safe knowing that he (Dela Rosa) is with us,” she said.

The MRT-3 was one of the transport hubs that Dela Rosa visited in his inspection of public places for police deployment two days before the Holy Week break this Thursday.

He first visited the Cubao bus terminal in Quezon City, where he checked security preparations. He boarded two provincial buses and checked on the condition of passengers.

Dela Rosa also witnessed a simulation exercise on bomb disposal at the Araneta Center to determine the level of preparedness of the police for local or foreign terror attacks.

The bomb drill started at around 9:38 a.m. when a black bag supposedly containing an improvised explosive device was left on a bus.

Using an MK3 Caliber ICOR robot and disruptor water cannon, the police bomb squad disabled the “bomb” in about 30 minutes.

Dela Rosa also visited Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City, the Baclaran Church and seaports in Manila.

Asked for his assessment, Dela Rosa said he is satisfied with the security preparations and that terror groups would have a hard time carrying out their nefarious acts.

LGUs to secure churches

With the influx of people from Metro Manila to the provinces to observe Holy Week, acting Interior Secretary Catalino Cuy directed all local government units and police officials to secure churches and ensure a peaceful and orderly Lenten season.?

Cuy said that LGUs should work closely with the concerned local traffic enforcers, barangay tanods, law enforcers or public safety officers in places of public convergence such as churches, transport terminals, plazas and malls to ensure the safe observance of Holy Week.?

“People usually flock to churches and other religious destinations during the Holy Week but there are also those who would like to relax and enjoy the long weekend,” Cuy said.

The former police general said medical assistance booths would be set up in strategic areas to assist people.?

He also advised the PNP to deploy their staff and ensure police visibility at checkpoints and mobile patrols to prevent the occurrence of crimes and other threats to public order and safety.?

Cuy also assured the public that the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is ready to respond to fire incidents and other accidents that may happen during Holy Week.

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Ed Monreal said on Monday that security measures have been tightened in the four terminals of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in preparation for the influx of local and foreign passengers.

Monreal said that additional security personnel and canine units were deployed to ensure the safety of arriving and departing passengers.

He said all uniform personnel were deployed to ensure the smooth flow of passengers, especially from April 12 to 17 when passengers are expected to flock to the NAIA.

Monreal also coordinated with officials of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to assign more officers at immigration counters to avoid long queues of passengers since Saturday.

Monreal and the BI’s Port Operation Division headed by Red Marinas at NAIA said that they are strictly monitoring foreign tourists arriving in the country. 

The United States and Kuwaiti security officials helped Philippine authorities identify and arrest a Middle Eastern couple with suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) who may have been planning bomb attacks in the Philippines, according to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.

Last April 6, suspected IS members identified as Syrian Rahaf Zina Dhafiri, 27, and Kuwaiti Hussein al-Dhafiri, 40, were arrested by government agents.

Al-Dhafiri allegedly was an IS bomb maker who was helping plot attacks in Kuwait and possibly in the Philippines, Aguirre said, citing information provided by Kuwait.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said that after deploying 150 additional immigration officers at the NAIA, the bureau had trained and placed on standby 341 more officers to augment those at immigration counters during the Holy Week.

With shorter queues at immigration counters, Morente said airline passengers could arrive at the airport three hours before their flight and not five hours as earlier advised. – With Rudy Santos, Cecille Suerte Felipe