THE Davao City Government is set to stage another Simulation Exercise (Simex) on Saturday, December 4, 2021, in time for the holiday season.
In a press statement, Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC), together with other city security clusters, will stage the exercise at SM Lanang Premier as part of its counter-terrorism strategy and further propagate the “Culture of Security.”
PSSCC Head Angel Sumagaysay said in a radio interview that the timing of the Simex comes days before Christmas, which is expected to attract a crowd, especially inside malls.
Sumagaysay, however, said there is no direct threat to the city. He said the security forces will not be complacent in monitoring public places of convergence.
The PSSCC official said the activity is part of the city’s routine exercise to identify areas of improvement and test the readiness against terror threats.
Participating in the said event are coming from various security agencies and offices, including the Task Force Davao and the Davao City Police Office (DCPO).
During the Simex, Sumagaysay said the security team will be responding to a mock improvised explosive device (IED) attack.
The drill will gauge the interoperability of the members of the security cluster in addressing the threat.
The public is advised not to panic because this is only part of the city's counter-terrorism exercises.
“This is just a simulation exercise and hopefully they would understand if there are inconveniences sa (in the) traffic,” he said.
Sumagaysay said Dabawenyos must get used to the city's security preparation drills for their own safety.
"Dapat open na ni sila sa mga ani nga exercise. Ang punto ani (We should be open to these kind of exercises. The point) is for all Dabawenyos na dapat preparado ta (to be prepared),” he said.