AS PART of Davao City’s continued campaign on "Culture of Security," Task Force Davao will test how Dabawenyos cooperate with authorities and react to terrorism incidents in the upcoming community exercise.
The community exercise will happen anytime next week and is aimed at evaluating the cooperation of Dabawenyos in reporting suspicious persons, staying true to the Culture of Security campaign “May Nakita, Dapat Magsalita.”
Task Force Davao Commander Colonel Consolito Yecla said during the orientation briefing with the media on Thursday, October 8, this is the first time the public will be involved in the city’s anti-terrorism simulation exercise.
Yecla said the exercise aims to develop or increase their level of vigilance and aggressiveness in the fight against terrorism.
He also said this is also a test on the impact of flashing or disseminating the identity of suspected terrorists to the public.
“What we want to happen is to test how the individuals will react without causing panic in the City,” Yecla said.
He urged everyone, especially establishment owners and their clientele, to participate in the community exercise.
“If in case these actors are in their area, we urge you to report them to the appropriate authorities so they will be neutralized,” Yecla said
During the exercise scenario, the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) through the Central 911 will announce using radio stations and other means of communication the presence of 25 persons disguising as terrorists. Each establishment, whether private or public, church, hotel and inn, restaurant, and mall will be targeted by the actors.
The actors will also be supervised by personnel from Task Force or the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) to ensure their security in case the exercise triggers a negative reaction from the public. The exercise may also be declared terminated at any time for safety reasons.
Once the “terrorist” is reported either to Task Force, DCPO or the PSSCC, it will be counted as “neutralized” by the sector.
The City Government, through its Facebook page, urged the public not to panic during the activity.
"The public, especially Dabawenyos, are encouraged to participate in this exercise," the City Government said.
The Culture of Security, launched in July this year, is a people-centered campaign that encourages Dabawenyos to be vigilant and report suspicious individuals immediately to authorities.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio had previously urged Dabawenyos not to hesitate to report, no matter how small the information will be reported, as it will be treated of high importance.