PNoy says terror threat on Davao based on 'raw info'

CLARK AIR BASE, Pampanga - President Aquino on Tuesday admitted that the terrorist threat he relayed to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte last week was based on “raw report” that is still being verified by security forces.

The President, however, justified his warning to the mayor about the threat, saying he wanted the local government to prepare.

“I passed on to Mayor Duterte a raw report - may I emphasize ‘raw.’ I just wanted to make sure that he was given all of the pertinent information to adequately prepare Davao,” Aquino told reporters here.

“The reports stated and I emphasize, the raw report stated that this terrorist who is a bomb maker had sent a bomb or a bomb-laden vehicle to Davao City to further a terrorist attack,” he added.

Aquino said Duterte, as head of Davao City’s Peace and Order Council, should be made aware of the pertinent information so he can adequately prepare the community for the potential threat.

“Having said that, both the PNP (Philippine National Police) and the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) are actively determining the validity of the report and continuing operations against this known terrorist,” Aquino said.

“We are not discounting any possibility but we want to err on the side of caution and that’s why we informed the good mayor that there is such a report and we emphasized it is raw,” he added.

Duterte has revealed  that he was alerted by Aquino about a potential terrorist threat in the south coming from a militant bomber initially thought to be dead but who is actually still alive.

The mayor said the President was concerned about the threat posed by bomb-making expert Abdul Basit Usman.

Authorities have offered $1-million bounty for the arrest of Usman, who was previously reported to have been killed by an American drone attack in the Afghanistan border in 2010.

Security sources previously said Usman might be planning to bomb key cities in Mindanao including Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Cotabato. They said Usman might be seeking to avenge the death of two of his relatives who were killed in a recent military offensive in Maguindanao.

Officials have assured the public that government forces in Mindanao have always been on alert to thwart untoward incidents.

Usman is said to be training members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) on bomb-making. The BIFF is a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that oppose the ongoing peace process with the government

Meanwhile, Aquino said he could not blame the United Kingdom government for coming up with a new advisory on the Philippines.

“I assume that they (United Kingdom) will also seek to be very extra cautious and of course we will appeal to them: Is the amount of caution commensurate to the threat?” the President said.

“At this point in time, we are winning the battle against them but it is still a battle ongoing.”

In its latest travel advisory, the United Kingdom advised its citizens against all travel to southwest Mindanao and Sulu because of ongoing terrorist activity and clashes between the military and insurgents.

“According to recent statements from government officials and media, authorities in Davao and other parts of Mindanao are at a heightened state of alert due to an unspecified security threat,” the advisory read.

“There is a high threat from terrorism, including kidnapping.”