Military to double efforts vs terror
Credit to Author: DEMPSEY REYES| Date: Wed, 02 Jan 2019 17:21:30 +0000
ARMED Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr. on Wednesday said the AFP would have to double its defense against terrorist activities in Mindanao, following a deadly bombing of a Cotabato City shopping mall on New Year’s Eve.
“We advise our troops to double their efforts to prevent these violent incidents from happening so that we can encourage foreign investments and tourism in Mindanao,” Madrigal said in reaction to the United Kingdom’s (UK) issuance of an advisory warning its citizens against traveling to southern Philippines.
In its travel advisory, the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office warned its citizens against traveling in western and central Mindanao, as it cited terrorist activities and clashes between the military and extremist groups are happening on the island.
The travel advisory came days after the bombing of the South Seas mall in Cotabato City, which killed two and left 34 others injured.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, for his part, said there were no activities similar to the tragic explosion being monitored, branding the advisory as a “default” move by London.
“We don’t have indications that there will be other bombings. The British advisory is an automatic and default warning of governments to their nationals like we also do when these things happen in other countries,” Lorenzana told reporters in a separate message.
“It is normal and ordinary. We hear about these advisories all the time,” he added.
In a tweet regarding the UK advisory, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said: “That’s fair warning.”
Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said several places in Mindanao remain good tourist destinations, such as Davao City, Cagayan de Oro City and General Santos City.
“Here in Central Mindanao, threats [carried by terrorists] are normal every now and then. There are threats of IED (improvised explosive device) explosions but for us, with or without threat, we are always on the guard,” Sobejana said.
Sobejana also laid down possible angles behind the explosion in the South Seas Mall in Cotabato City.
One is the possible impact of the “intense” rivalry among politicians in the area, with some opposing the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) implementation.
The BOL plebiscite is expected this month, while the election season is fast-approaching.
Another angle, he added, was a failed extortion attempt on the mall, noting that the location of the bombing happened at a commercial establishment.
“We cannot discount the possibility that this has something to do with extortion activities,” Sobejana said.
The Philippine National Police said that an IED was used in the explosion, which blew up through stalls selling firecrackers in front of the mall.
After the blast, authorities also defused another IED found at the malls’ second floor baggage counter.
‘Do not generalize’
Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año said it was not right to generalize the existence of terrorism in the whole island of Mindanao.
Año said the government has been transparent in admitting that several terror groups and even the communist rebels are existing in the country but noted that “they are isolated in certain areas of Mindanao only.”
“Under martial law, the LGUs (local government units), AFP and PNP are doing their best to ensure the protection of all tourists and constituents,” he said.
“We will intensify military and police operations in those concerned and affected areas of Mindanao and we assure the safety of tourists and travelers in Mindanao,” Año added.
Malacañang called on the public to refrain from speculating about the deadly blast in front of a shopping mall in Cotabato City, amid fears of Islamic State-inspired terrorism.
In a statement, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said Malacañang was “saddened” by the explosion but assured the public that the government would “get to the bottom” of the incident.
“Authorities are already investigating the incident. In the meantime, we call on everyone not to speculate as this may only sow unnecessary fear and panic among our people,” Panelo said.
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