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Saturday, February 19, 2005
'Some bombers visited Oro'
By Danilo V. Adorador III
LOCAL officials and government employees voiced Friday the concern over a series of text messages being circulated in Region 10 claiming that bombers are now prowling in the region.
In an interview, Mayor Vicente Emano confirmed to Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro that this message is being circulated in the city with two of his secretaries having received it.
The text reads: "Info disclosed dat all muslims in region 10 are ordered to go outside their residences, bombers are now in region 10 and are ready to execute terror acts in places like churches, malls, markets, buses, terminals, sea/airports or plaza. pass ds 2 all."
Earlier the mayor in a television interview said he received reports that 10 rebels have holed up in one of the city's hotels and a certain Kumander Rabsi heads the group.
Law enforcement officials like Regional Director Virgilio Mendez of the National Bureau of Investigation-10 and City Police Director Senior Superintendent Honorio Cervantes supported the mayor's claims.
No harm
Meanwhile, Emano said while the text messages may be the work of pranksters, these cannot be ignored.
"Anything can happen and in a situation like this where we have an ongoing war in Sulu people must exercise extreme caution and cooperate with police," he said.
These text messages even found their way to some officials like Provincial Director Maria Eliza Pabillore of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
"I received this test message from a friend this morning (February 18) but I have no idea if this is true," she said, adding however that "there is no harm in being cautious" and staying away from public places.
Several City Council also reported that they received the same message.
"Kinahanglan gyud nga dili sa ta maglaag-laag ani kay basin tinoud ni (We must not wander around because this might be true)," a City Council employee who requested anonymity said.
For their part the regional Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA) 10 said the text message is just a handiwork of people who want to destroy the peace in Cagayan de Oro.
"As far as the Muslims here are concerned, we haven't been told to stay home because of an impending bomb explosion," OMA-10 Chief of Administrative and Finance Division Sultan Mindaya Macagungun said.
Equal treatment
He said he would even attend the Nite Cafe tonight to meet up with relatives to prove that the bomb scare isn't true.
"The authors of this text message is disturbing the peace of the Kagay-anons and these people are Satanic, not Islamic," he added.
Cervantes is set to visit the Nite Cafe area as part of their visibility efforts.
Meanwhile, Emano said the rebel group allegedly came over in the city the Thursday and when police raided the hotel at 3:00 p.m. last Tuesday the group had long since fled.
"Mga alas 3:00 kuno nakabiya na sa hotel ug paingon na sa Cotabato pero nakatulog gyud kini og usa ka gabii sa hotel (They left the hotel at 3:00 p.m. and headed to Cotabato but they slept here in a hotel)," Emano said.
It was believed that the rebels spent the night in the city and had no plans to sow havoc here. Emano said the equal treatment given to Muslims here is one of the reasons why Cagayan de Oro was spared.
He also appealed to the perpetrators to spare the city from the bombings. Emano earlier said Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City are among the bombing targets.
Meanwhile Cervantes said the information received by the mayor may have come from a variety of sources. He also denied reports that Emano doesn't give information to them.
He also called on the public to support the police in order to stop these rebels.
The NBI-10 advised the public to stay away from crowded places.
"It is true nga dunay mga report but unconfirmed pero dili angay ibaliwala (It is true there are reports but these are unconfirmed. Despite this it shouldn't be ignored)," Mendez said.
The agency said it is continually receiving intelligence reports and sharing these with law enforcement agencies in Region 10.
(February 19, 2005 issue)
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