PNP tightens backdoor security

Eleazar sees BaSulTa readiness vs Covid-19’s delta variant, as well as any terror group taking advantage of the porous southern border

Police forces in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi (BaSulTa) are ready against the double threat of the Covid-19 Delta variant and terrorism possibly entering the country via its southern backdoor.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Guillermo Eleazar on Monday said that morale is high among the men and women who form the backend shield of the organization in Mindanao.

Eleazar made the assessment a day after he visited the region and ensured that police forces are on their toes to stop the illegal entry of people from neighboring countries like Indonesia where the Delta variant has been ravaging communities.

“The morale of our policemen in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi is high and they continue to play a part not only in ensuring the security of our countrymen against terrorism but also in the ongoing threat of Covid-19,” he said.

Last week, the Philippine government included Indonesia in the list of countries with strict travel restrictions amid the severe wave of Covid-19 cases that health experts attributed to the Delta variant.

He said that as the Philippines shares a border with Indonesia and Malaysia, the porous borders in the south are reportedly being taken advantage of for smuggling activities by some groups, thus his decision to assess the situation at ground zero.

“Apart from our local police forces, I have also issued an order to our commanders there, especially the (PNP) Maritime Group, to strengthen border control on all entrants from Indonesia and Malaysia to ensure that no cannot pass through there,” Eleazar said.

He cited the need to guard against

Delta as experts described it as a more transmissible variant of Covid-19 said to be behind the deadly wave of mass infections in India.

PNP forces in BaSulTa were tasked by Eleazar to coordinate with local government units, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard to seal Mindanao’s borders against illegal entrants.

Eleazar also met with security officers of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in a command conference yesterday.