A Cagayan de Oro City police official said authorities are making adjustments in the implementation of security checkpoints to ensure lawless elements or individuals carrying loose firearms could not sneak in to the city.
Senior Superintendent Nelson Aganon, chief of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo), made the statement following the shootout that left a highway police and the armed suspect dead along Mastersons Avenue, Upper Carmen, last December 6.
Netizens took to social media and questioned why an armed suspect on board a private vehicle slipped through the strict security inspections.
Aganon explained that lack of intelligence report and available diversion roads can lead armed men entered the city unnoticed.
“Meron tayong sa bundok na madadaanan. Maraming factors kung bakit may nakakalusot kasama sa checkpoint ang intelligence so posible kulang ang intelligence kaya lang di lang kami ang member ng intelligence community,” Aganon said.
Aganon said the city police office is making the adjustments especially when they were flooded with complaints in the conduct of checkpoints.
The city's top cop also said among the adjustments that they will make is a one-on-one inspection and search of the vehicle.
Authorities will also upgrade the conduct of checkpoints by putting up K9 dogs to help detect explosives and firearms hidden in private vehicles.
Aganon said car owners can file cases should they find policemen manning the checkpoints abusive.
“We will do what is necessary just to stop nang pagpasok ng contraband in the city,” Aganon said.