Security tightened in CDO

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: The military and the police have thrown a security dragnet around the city in response to bombings in neighboring cities and provinces in southern Mindanao, a top police official said on Tuesday.

Police Supt. Mardi Hortilloza, spokesman for the Cagayan De Oro City Police Office (COCPO), said the move stemmed from bombing explosions in South Cotabato, General Santos City and North Cotabato.

Hortilloza added that police were urging residents to be wary about information relative to “bombing scares” in the city’s public places.

While local police have verified that the information was a “prank,” Hortilloza said they were taking the information “seriously.”

He added that the intelligence community is working hard to trace and pinpoint the sources of the information, which is spreading through the social media.

As part of security contingencies, the local police have established check points in the city’s public markets as a preemptive measure, Hortilloza said.

“While we are appealing to the public to report to the nearest police any suspicious persons and baggage, we are also asking for patience because of the heavy traffic caused by the checkpoints,” Hortilloza said.

He added that the local police received an information on Tuesday morning about a threat to bomb the Cogon Public Market here.

The Cogon Public Market is one of the largest public markets located in the heart of the city along J. R. Borja Street, followed by the Carmen Public Market in the village of Carmen.

Hortilloza said the police have been receiving bomb threats since the Marawi City siege in May and until now the law enforcers are always on their toes.