Police, military on full alert for holidays

MANILA, Philippines - The police and military are on full and red alert amid the high terror threat in Metro Manila due to the holiday season.

The National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO), for its part, said it was on full alert for the Miss Universe pageant to be held here in January, although there are no specific threats to the event itself.

National Security Adviser Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr. confirmed the threat without identifying the groups plotting to sow terror in the National Capital Region and other key areas.

But he said government security forces were closely watching the activities of these groups or individuals.

“We have recovered bombs. So indeed there’s a Level 3 terror threat. But this is not to scare people…concerned (military) troops are on red alert while the police (are) on full alert,” he said.

Esperon was referring to the recent foiled bombing of the US embassy with the use of an improvised explosive device (IED) and the recovery of another IED in Bulacan last Wednesday.

Combined military and police operations resulted in the arrest of four suspected Muslim extremists with links to the Maute terror group.

To counter these prevailing security concerns, Esperon said the Philippine National Police (PNP) increased its police visibility and patrol operations, while military and police intelligence work had been doubled.

He also said a combined ready strike force had been organized to directly deal with these groups or individuals if ever they would make a move in the metropolis.

“These are possible threat groups,” Esperon said when asked if the terror threats were coming from the ranks of the Balik-Islams, the Maute group or the Ansar al-Khalifah in the Philippines, which are based in Manila and other key areas.

Esperon called on the public to be vigilant and report unusual activities to authorities.

Miss Universe preparations

For his part, NCRPO director Chief Supt. Oscar Albayalde said the full alert status was imposed as some Miss Universe candidates started arriving in the country on Friday.

The Philippines is the host country of the 65th Miss Universe pageant on Jan. 30.

Albayalde said one policewoman would be assigned to escort each candidate.

Instead of putting up checkpoints, Albayalde said police officers would be going around the venues for the activities related to the pageant.

But he said the candidates and the public have nothing to worry about since the PNP did not receive any threats to the event.

For the regional events, Albayalde said that personnel of the Police Security Protective Group would escort the candidates in coordination with the local security group.

In Baguio City, the 250-strong Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB) said nothing could stop the City of Pines from hosting the Miss Universe contestants.

A local court denied HRAB and the local government’s conduct of a month-long fund-raising Christmas bazaar at the Melvin Jones grandstand but Andrew Pinero, the group’s media officer, said they would continue to do their part to promote the city to the world.

The bazaar was supposed to generate additional funds for the local organizers to be able to defray the huge expenses to be incurred during the visit of some 24 contestants to the city.

HRAB has paid P14 million out of the total P25 million hosting fee to the international organizers of the pageant to guarantee the visit of the selected contestants to the city on Jan. 18. The first tranche of P7 million was paid to the organizers last Nov. 7 upon signing of the contract, while the second tranche was paid last week. The third and fourth tranches will be paid sometime in January, before the contestants’ visit.

Aside from the P25-million ($500,000) hosting fee, HRAB will be responsible for the payment of the withholding tax, income tax, food, accommodation, transportation and the four floats to be used by the contestants when parading around the city.

In Lingayen, Pangasinan, Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Thomas Orbos said during the Breakfast Club media forum at President Hotel that more roads would be opened to the public not just for the Miss Universe pageant but to ease traffic in general. – With Artemio Dumlao, Eva Visperas