Police told to beef up security as fiesta draws near

AS CAGAYAN de Oro is bracing for the coming fiesta celebration, City Mayor Vicente Emano has ordered the local police force to step up security measures amid another threat of unrest.

“We should not be complacent against terrorism threat especially that visitors from other places have started coming here karon nga nagkaduol na ang kapistahan sa atong siyudad,” the mayor said.

The order came as Christopher Turner, project director of Helping Hands that volunteered in building houses for the Typhoon Sendong survivors, informed Mayor Emano that his group received a “bomb threat” from an unidentified caller.

And though it may be a hoax or a just a prank, Emano said that things like these should not be taken for granted.

“We normally have a big crowd in the month of August so normal lang sab nga kitang tanan alerto hilabi na ang puwersa sa atong kapulisan,” Emano told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.

He said Turner asked for guaranteed safety of his fellow volunteers and hopes that peace and order in the city will not be jeopardized by the terrorists or anarchists.

The mayor then assured Turner that peace will reign for as long as he’s still the mayor of Cagayan de Oro.

Emano said he already ordered his men under the leadership of City Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya, committee chair on police, fire and public safety to create security measures for the peace and order.

Nacaya said they already requested full reinforcement from the Philippine National Police-Northern Mindanao to secure the city from any possible danger.

He said to efficiently conduct safety measures, the “buddy system” among the police personnel has been seriously enforced, particularly in the crowded places in the city.

Likewise, Nacaya said that Emano has ordered for the strict implementation of visible checkpoints in the entry and exit points in the city, particularly in the airport and seaport areas where the entry of unlicensed firearms are strictly monitored.

“Gusto sab ma-estorya sa mayor ang isa sa mga prominent families of our Muslim brothers here nga na-involve sa kagubot gumikan nianang pyramid scheme,” he said.

Through a peaceful dialogue, Nacaya said Emano will try to appease the warring Muslim brothers and humbly request them not to hold their fights in the city.