No need to frisk parishioners over Maute threat — CBCP
AFP officers carry the remains of military bishop Leopoldo Tumulak during an honor parade at Camp Aguinaldo yesterday. The prelate died of pancreatic cancer on Saturday. BOY SANTOS
MANILA, Philippines - There may be unverified information that Maute militants will launch attacks against churches, but an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) does not see the need to frisk parishioners.
CBCP-Public Affairs Committee executive secretary Fr. Jerome Secillano yesterday said he is relying on the capability of the government’s local and national law enforcers and even the church’s security personnel to thwart any terror attack on church institutions in the country.
“There’s no need to frisk churchgoers when attending masses. The presence of law enforcers in the vicinity will suffice,” Secillano said.
While he does not see the need to disrupt or suspend church activities at present because of the alleged threat, he said the public should not be complacent but instead remain vigilant and observant of their surroundings.
“The least that we can do in these trying times is not to create tension or cause panic,” he added.
CBCP-Commission on Laity chairman and Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, meanwhile, said there was no need to “overreact.”
He said the public could implement security measures, but the reaction should not be exaggerated.
“There is no need to body frisk those who are hearing mass,” Pabillo said. “If these terrorists terrorize us, if we allow ourselves to be terrorized, then they win.”
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