Security at Davao airport tightened after NAIA siege

DAVAO CITY — Authorities have tightened security at the Davao International Airport following Saturday morning’s siege at the control tower of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal II that claimed the lives of former Air Transportation Office (ATO) chief Panfilo Villaruel and Navy Lt. (sg) Richard Catchillar.

"We are looking into the matter closely that’s why we are making sure that no such incidents would happen at the Davao airport," said Maj. Orlando Suarez, executive officer of the military-led Task Force Davao.

While the Aviation Security Group, the local Philippine National Police command and ATO security forces are the ones taking charge of security within the airport terminal, Suarez said a special Task Force Davao team has been deployed at the airport’s periphery, particularly near the runway.

Security has also been a major concern at the new Davao airport terminal due to open on Dec. 1, especially after a bomb explosion ripped through a crowded waiting shed outside the airport last March 4, that left 22 people dead and over 150 others injured.

The airport blast was followed by another explosion 28 days later at a row of food stalls in front of the passenger terminal of the Sasa wharf, killing 17 people and injuring 59 others.

Suarez said Task Force Davao has been tapped to help beef up security at both the old and new airport terminals.

"This is the first time that the Army is involved in securing an airport facility in the country. But rest assured that we will be working based on international standards set by aviation authorities," he said.

The Davao airport is the leading international gateway in this part of the country.

Since the twin bombings early this year, local authorities have left nothing to chance in securing the city from terrorist threats which authorities said remain to this day.

"The threat remains high. That’s why we have maintained a high alert level which as much as possible should remain so," said Col. Gaudencio Pangilinan of Task Force Davao.

Pangilinan said intelligence reports indicate there is still a need to keep the alert level up to show terrorists that the government is determined to deter any further attacks.

"Terrorists attack when you least expect them that’s why we have strengthened our intelligence network in the city and the adjacent localities as well," he said.

Pangilinan over 600 military personnel, including 150 members of the Special CAFGU Auxiliary (SCAA), have augmented the local police in securing this southern metropolis.

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte himself earlier admitted that elements of the Indonesian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, which has links with the al-Qaeda terror network of Osama bin Laden, are present in the city.

The Jemaah Islamiyah, which reportedly has ties to the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), has been blamed for a series of bombings and other attacks in Mindanao and Metro Manila.

"We cannot afford to be complacent and not seriously look into the operations of the Jemaah Islamiyah in this part of the country," Suarez said.

He said patrols have also been increased in the Davao Gulf following reports that a number of Jemaah Islamiyah members have entered Mindanao on board motorboats from the Indonesian province of Sulawesi.

"We know the importance of tightly watching the movements of vessels in the Davao Gulf. We have also strengthened our coordination with residents of the city’s coastal areas so they can report to authorities any unusual movements of people in their areas," he said.