THE National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) will field over 5,000 personnel to ensure peace and order during the observance of the Holy Week, NCRPO chief Director Oscar Albayalde said Wednesday, March 7.
Albayalde said, however, that they have not received any terror threats.
"Ayaw nating merong mangyari kahit anong insidente of terrorism dito sa Metro Manila, kaya nga itong mga arrest, this shows yung ating pro-active stance dito, hindi tayo puwedeng maging reactive dito," he said, referring to the arrest of alleged Maute Group sub-leader Abdul Nasser Lomondot.
(We will prevent terror attacks in Metro Manila. The arrests we made show our pro-active stance against terrorism. We cannot afford to be reactive.)
Aside from the places of convergence such as churches, malls, bus terminals and air and sea ports, Albayalde said they are also monitoring the 70 Muslim enclaves in the metro where terrorists, particularly those who escaped from Mindanao following the Marawi seige, may have sought refuge.
"Hindi naman natin minamasama yung ating mga kapatid na Muslims pero basically since sila ay nanggagaling sa Mindanao, talagang it's apparent and explicit na nandon sila sa mga Muslim enclaves, nagtatago, nagsi-seek ng shelter, nagsi-seek ng refuge," he said.
(We are not putting our Muslim brothers in a bad light, but it's apparent that those who escaped from Mindanao would seek refuge in Muslim enclaves.)
Albayalde said the Muslim leaders in the said areas have vowed to help the government fight terrorism and immediately report new and suspicious faces in their areas.
He said the entire Metro Manila police have remained on full alert since the Davao bombing in 2016.
Lomondot, who was arrested in Tondo, was among the Maute Group members who took over Marawi City in Lanao del Sur for five months, from May 23 to October 23, 2017.
He was among the over 300 terrorists who escaped from the battle zone and have sought refuge in Metro Manila and other cities in Mindanao. (SunStar Philippines)