Bohol police on red alert; "Better paranoid than sorry”

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — Recent deadly attacks launched by communist rebels in various places in the country have prodded Bohol Police officials to enhance security measures in their areas of responsibility (AORs), and placed the entire provincial command on red alert status.

Having received instructions from higher authorities to beef up internal security procedures, Bohol Police Provincial Office Director Senior Superintendent Felipe Natividad has reminded the provincial police forces that "it is better to be prepared than sorry."

With the BPPO placed on red alert status — following the July 21 ambush in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental where New People's Army rebels killed six police officers and wounded three others — policemen in Bohol said they have to change their mindset on security and protection.

Senior Inspector Roland Desiree Lavisto, Ubay (town) Police Station chief, told The Freeman yesterday that the tragic incident in Guihulngan has pushed them to be extra vigilant for any eventuality.

"If an ambush could happen to the security convoy of President Duterte in Arakan, North Cotabato, it can possibly happen anywhere else in the country," Lavisto said. "You lose nothing when you overestimate your security preparations," he said, adding that the NPA ambush in Arakan could have served as a grim warning to the Guihulngan Police members.

Superintendent Patricio Degay Jr., chief of the Tagbilaran City Police Station, also told The Freeman that they received a directive from higher authorities to stay on full alert after the ambush in Negros.

Degay in an interview expressed sadness over the incident, noting that police officers are noncombatants as their civil mandate is more on serving and protecting the public. "Wala namang kalaban-laban ang mga kasamahan nating police na napatay sa ambush sa Negros," he lamented.

On the other hand, Senior Supt. Dennis Palo Agustin, deputy director for operations of the Police Regional Office-7 (Central Visayas), told The Freeman in a text message the police will hold a command conference anytime this week.

Among the pressing topics to be discussed by top police officials are the inventories of available firearms in every police station and the augmentation of members for the combat-trained Provincial Public Safety Command.

Earlier, outgoing PRO-7 director, Chief Supt. Noli Taliño visited Bohol to check on the security arrangements of town police stations in the province. During an unscheduled visit here last month, he reprimanded some police stations in the province for their "complacency" on defense initiatives.

The former PRO-7 head reminded the chiefs of police in Bohol that the June 18 incident in Maasin town, Iloilo — where a group of NPA rebels overran a police station there should be seen as a wake-up call to every police station in Central Visayas. (FREEMAN)