Arriving passengers to be monitored: Cebu, Bohol alert

CEBU AND BOHOL, Philippines – two of the closest islands to Mindanao – remain in a vigilant mode as the military continue to pounce on the rebel Maute Group in Marawi City in an operation that is seen to extend for several days more.

Local authorities are particularly keeping a close watch on Cebu and Bohol’s sea borders amid concerns terrorists from Mindanao might seek refuge in neighboring islands in hopes of avoiding military forces.

Cebu and Bohol lie about 200 kilometers away from Mindanao. These provinces run regular trips to and from several points in Mindanao via the ports of Dapitan, Iligan, Butuan, Nasipit, and Cagayan de Oro, among others.

Statistics from the Cebu Port Authority shows that around nine million passengers disembarked at Cebu ports in 2015. This means that some 25,000 passengers arrived in these ports on a daily basis.

A staff worker at the Philippine Coast Guard, who requested anonymity, estimated that nearly half of this traffic comes from Mindanao provinces.

By next week, boat passengers from Mindanao who will arrive in Cebu might be made to divulge their areas of origin as part of intensified security measures, according to Chief Inspector Ramoncelio Sawan, public information officer of the Cebu City Police Office. 

Sawan said that based on the security plan, passengers from the besieged city of Marawi in Lanao del Sur will be likely tagged as evacuees and monitored just in case.

Police have started monitoring ports for their arrival but there are no evacuees recorded here so far based on coordination with counterpart agencies, according to Sawan.

Police Regional Office-7 Director Chief Superintendent Noli Taliño said they are coordinating with the port authorities on matters of security.

“They have their own security system which they are mandated to do so. We will augment their security measures with our checkpoint operations outside the ports. If they will request for PNP personnel inside the port, we can provide also,” Taliño said.

Sawan said Muslims have no reasons to worry about entering Cebu.

“Particularly sa mga kaigsuonan natong Muslim nga mosud sa siyudad, wala mo’y angay ikabalaka,” he said as he pointed out that for many Muslims, Cebu has been a second home.

“Sila mismo dili sila gusto madaot (ang) relationship nila sa mga Cebuano kay ila pud ni gikonsidera ang Cebu nga ila na pung balay,” Sawan said.

He said coastal protection agencies will meet again on Monday to discuss more ways to boost local security.

He also reiterated his appeal for public cooperation as authorities implement crisis prevention measures such as conducting checkpoints, assigning police personnel inside malls, as well as monitoring civilians who are allowed to carry firearms.

Sawan said the uniformed personnel have been warned to observe standard operating procedures always in these security checks.

“We request the Cebuano people, labi na ang motorists na maging patient to help our police during these events kay para ra pud ni sa kaayuhan sa katawhan,” he said.

Bohol alert, too

In the neighboring province of Bohol, police have also instituted measures in line with the ongoing clash in Marawi and the recent encounters between government troops and Abu Sayyaf Group in the towns of Inabanga and Clarin.

As part of the heightened security, police personnel have been instructed to check the identification cards of arriving individuals in some instances, said Bohol Provincial Police Office Director Senior Inspector Felipe Natividad.

“Lahat ng mga RORO (roll-on, roll-off) passengers, mga sasakyan, before they disembark from the seacraft, chini-checkpoint na ng mga police natin yan mismo from the port pa lang,” Natividad said. “And if we find it necessary, we may need to ask for IDs and then take their photos, we do that.”

He said that last May 24, a day after the Marawi clash began, some 18 persons from Mindanao reportedly arrived in the port of Bohol’s Jagna town from the port of Cagayan de Oro.

They were held for questioning but were eventually released after a barangay official from Davao City confirmed they were actually members of a religious Muslim group.

“They’re a Muslim religious group, and what they’re doing is they are encouraging the Muslims na medyo hindi na active (to pray)… They’re basically telling their Muslim brothers na naliligaw ng landas to pray,” Natividad explained.

Some of the group’s members reportedly originated from the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu and Angeles City in Pampanga, the BPPO director said.

Bohol, he said, remains safe but vigilant.

“There’s nothing to worry. Pero ganun naman dapat talaga we really have to do that, continuously check, and maintain vigilance,” said Natividad, adding that the Muslim community there has been cooperative with the police.

Be responsible

Back in Cebu, the AFP, PCG, and the police are on a full alert status, vowing that government troops will not hold back to ensure peace and order will be maintained.

Colonel Medel Aguilar, public information officer at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command based in Cebu City, said they have deployed security personnel to man Cebu’s borders, particularly in the province’s southern portion which is closer to Mindanao.

As to assigning police forces inside malls, Sawan said the details are still being ironed out because they also have to consider the opinion of mall security officers.

In the aspect of bearing firearms, he reminded the public to first secure a license to own and follow the guidelines to prevent any incidents.

Authorities likewise appealed to the public to be more responsible on social media and stop sharing unverified news and alarming texts on terror attacks.

This after a text message from an unknown number recently spread from one mobile number to the next, causing confusion and panic among some network subscribers.

The text allegedly warned the public about a bombing that was supposed to happen in the coming days.  This has since been dismissed by authorities as untrue.

Aguilar said the best thing the public should do in times of community crisis is to privately relay information on any suspicious-looking behavior and personality in their immediate locality to the authorities for validation. They should not hurriedly post the information on social media.

“Only after validating the report that we come out in public to tell you whether it is true or not,” Aguilar said.

Why consult?

As of yesterday, at least 44 people have died in the fighting in Marawi, including 31 militants and 11 soldiers. Military officials said the fighting could run for a week.

The militants have torn through the streets of Marawi since Tuesday night, torching buildings, taking a priest and his worshippers hostage and sealing off much of the city.

President Rodrigo Duterte declared Mindanao under a state of martial law a day after, and is considering expanding the military rule’s coverage to Visayas and even as far as Luzon.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña was quick to say that he prefers President Duterte first consulting local leaders in the Visayas before making good his plan to expand martial law to other regions.

But the Cebu chapter president of the League of Municipalities in the Philippines does not see the need.

"That is the prerogative and discretion of the president. Kinsa man ning mga LGUs (local government units) nga angay pa nga konsultahon pa sa presidente?" Tuburan Mayor Democrito Diamante Jr. told The FREEMAN yesterday.

Diamante also said the national leadership of LMP has also passed a resolution expressing its support to the president's declaration of martial law in Mindanao.

Separately, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez downplayed concerns that the martial rule will lead to many human rights abuses and violations. — with Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon (FREEMAN)