THE Philippine National Police (PNP) urged the public to disregard any messages which may cause alarm amid the separate bombing incidents in Mindanao.
PNP spokesperson Benigno Durana said the public should be cautious in handling “scare rumors” which is being spread through text email and social media.
He said such message should be deleted and disregarded.
“There is no specific threat on any particular target. Therefore, the text scare being spread around is untrue and is obviously designed only to create panic. Scare messages of this nature deserve to be discarded and not shared,” he said.
Durana ensured that the PNP has laid-out preventive security measures to harden possible targets and deter attempt by threat groups to infiltrate communities.
He, however, encouraged the public to be vigilant at all times.
“Public vigilance is the best response to this situation. Panic will only make matters worse,” he said.
He urged the public to immediately report any suspicious persons or things in their surrounding through national emergency hotline 911 or thru PNP text hotline 0917-847-5757.
On Thursday, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) was placed on heightened alert following the Lamitan City blast around 5:50 a.m. on Tuesday, July 31.
The improvised explosive device (IED) which was placed in a van exploded while being inspected by the government troops in checkpoint in Sitio Bulanting, Barangay Colonia, Lamitan City in Basilan.
Ten people including a soldier, four Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) personnel, four civilians, including a child and a woman who were relatives of the killed CAFGU personnel, and the driver of the van were killed in the incident.
Hours later, around 11:10 a.m. an IED also exploded in the roadside of Sitio Calumpang, Barangay San Jose in Antipolo City.
On Wednesday evening, August 1, an explosion of an IED also rocked the Masbate port.
Authorities said investigation on the said incident is ongoing.
Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Colonel Edgard Arevalo said the three incident were not in any way related to one another.
The police and military said indication shows that the incident in Lamitan City was possibly perpetrated by the Abu Sayyaf Group who has a stronghold in the province, while the two other incidents are more likely conducted by members of the New People’s Army. (SunStar Philippines)