MAYOR Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar has reiterated her directive to the local police and military authorities “not give terrorists the opportunity to conduct terroristic activities” in this part of the region. “The opportunity for them (terrorists) to attack is always there. So, what we should do is deny them that (opportunity), especially now that Zamboanga City is under full alert status (coded Red),” Salazar stressed. Salazar issued the order as the chief executive lamented what she termed as “breach of security” in certain lapses in security measures for places of worship that she personally observed at Fort Pilar Shrine. “The security (in that area) was not tightened. There was no security checks or frisking of people going inside, and some people were seen entering a supposedly restricted (no entry) area,” Salazar said as she called the attention of the Tourist Police Action Center for the security lapses. The mayor has convened the City Peace and Order Council (CPOC) where they discussed security matters. Meanwhile, the Regional Mobile Force Battalion-9, Task Force Zamboanga and local police in collaboration with the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office showcased their capabilities on Saturday, July 6, in a simulation exercise on a bomb explosion at the Integrated Bus Terminal (IBT) in the village of Divisoria, one of the government's important installations. The simulation exercise is part of the security sector’s incident preparedness training. Salazar, who witnessed the exercise lauded the authorities for continuously enhancing and upgrading their skills and reactions to different emergency situations. The exercise lasted for about two hours involving the police and military and other agencies including IBT personnel and the clients. (SunStar Philippines)