Terror watch intensifies
Tight security plans readied for Sinulog festival, Chinese New Year
THE feared disruption of the feast of the Black Nazarene did not happen, but the government said on Tuesday that the terror alert was still in place since militants might still carry out attacks not only in Metro Manila but in other provinces as well.
Officials said that the police and military would remain on high alert for two upcoming events—the Sinulog festival and the Chinese New Year.
The terror watch will not only cover Metro Manila, but also other regions, according to Armed Forces spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin confirmed that the military alert would not be lifted until the terrorists who plotted to disrupt the Nazarene procession were either captured or neutralized.
The terror threat, which was announced by President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Sunday, prompted government officials to tighten security measures for the massive religious parade.
The police is now on full alert for another religious spectacle on Sunday—the Sinulog Festival, Cebu City’s grandest and most colorful event in honor of its patron, the Santo Niño (Child Jesus). In previous years, the festival had drawn thousands of foreign and local tourists.
The series of activities will culminate on January 15 with a grand parade.
Some 10,000 police and military troops have been deployed to the festival’s venues, radio dzbb’s Cebu affiliate reported on Tuesday.
The parade route and the Basilica de Santo Niño are under tight watch, and policemen will conduct regular patrols at bus terminals and seaports to thwart any attempt to smuggle weapons, drugs and other contraband, it said.
Similar security measures are expected to be carried out when the country celebrates the Chinese New Year on January 23. Security officials said that militants
spotted in Metro Manila might still mount attacks since they had not been arrested.
Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda said that the police, military, and other intelligence agencies were preparing detailed security plans to safeguard people during the celebration of the feast of the Santo Niño, which is also observed in Manila’s Tondo district.
He added that the Sinulog festival could be targeted by terrorists because of the huge crowds it usually drew.
Terrorists identified
Malacañang said that two teams had been deployed to Mindanao to hunt down the terrorists. One team will also track down militants who remain in Metro Manila.
According to Gazmin, they already know the names and faces of the suspected terrorists, but he declined to identify them so as not to jeopardize manhunt operations.
He said that all the suspects came from Mindanao— one was from Marawi City—and could be members of the Abu Sayyaf or the the Special Operations Group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
The Defense chief added that they were studying the possibility of posting the photos of the terrorists in public places so that the public could help facilitate their arrest.
The terror warning issued in connection with the feast of the Black Nazarene did not stop millions of devotees from joining the 22- hour procession, raising doubts on the veracity of the terror threat, with some observers saying that the government might have overreacted.
Gazmin, however, maintained that the threat was for real, saying that intelligence operatives had monitored the arrival of the suspected terrorists in Manila.
“All threats are taken very seriously because if you don’t act on it and something happened, you will be sorry later on. It doesn’t matter if people say that we are overreacting, at least we are not sorry,” he said.
The Defense secretary added that the reliability of the intelligence report was “very high” and “very reliable,” which was why the President decided to make the warning himself.
“We have now intelligence agents moving around, trying to identify people who are suspected to be linked with the group,” he said.
Gazmin pointed out that the suspected terrorists, all experts in bomb making, remained a threat to the security of Metro Manila and other urban centers.
“We will keep the terror threat alert up until after we come up with positive results,” he said.
Authorities have raided three suspected safehouses in Rizal province and two in Manila, including one in the Baseco compound in Tondo. No one was arrested, however.
Gazmin advised people to remain vigilant and alert and immediately report to the authorities any suspicious- looking persons and articles, like bags, left in public places.
Threat remains
Burgos said that the terror alert did not only cover Metro Manila and other urban centers, but also the countryside.
He added that a special military terrorist team had been assigned to handle this threat, in coordination with the intelligence units of the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies.
“We have not lowered our guard. The terror alert has been there since the tragic 9/11 incident in [the] US,” Burgos said, referring to the September 11, 2001 suicide attacks in certain areas of New York City and Washington D.C. that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Lacierda slammed critics who said that the government could have overreacted to a perceived threat from terrorists.
“We have disrupted their operation. There’s always a 20- 20 hindsight— hindsight always happens after the incident and so they will always say nothing happens or was there an overreaction. But would you rather have casualties? We believe that the government acted prudently, promptly on credible threats. And we believe that we have successfully deterred any attempt to disrupt the January 9 Black Nazarene fiesta,” he said.
PNP Director General Nicanor Bartolome said that authorities would continue with their operations to track down the terrorists.
“We are conducting surveillance on certain houses,” he added without giving further details.
PNP spokesman Agrimero Cruz Jr. also said that safety measures put in place for the Nazarene procession would remain on Manila’s mass public transport services, as well as its airports and the city’s port.
“We apologize to the public over the measures that are in place to protect the majority. These are being undertaken with public safety and security in mind,” Cruz told reporters.” We can’t say how long these will last.”