BACOLOD City Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran urged Bacolodnons to be vigilant in the fight against terrorism and report to the authorities the presence of suspicious persons.
Familiaran issued the reminder during the City Peace and Order Council meeting Tuesday, June 20, at the Bacolod Government Center after text messages and posts on Facebook from a certain Nikka stated that will “create bomb in malls, churches and highly-urbanized cities.”
Familiaran said they are concentrating on the peace and order situation in the city in relation to the Marawi siege and the recent raid of the police station in Maasin, Iloilo.
“We will not allow that this will happen to us because Bacolod is very peaceful. We will not give them an opportunity to operate here. We should cooperate and report the presence of any suspicious person to the nearest police station,” he said.
Familiaran said the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are now validating the reports, text messages, and posts on social media.
He added that evacuees from Marawi are staying with their relatives in Bacolod and policemen are coordinating with them to ensure that they are not members of the Maute group.
Familiaran said the PNP, AFP along with the National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine Coast Guard are on alert to monitor the possible presence of terrorists in Bacolod.
The vice mayor said they will hold a meeting with businessmen and security agency owners next week to help in the monitoring.
Carmelo Orbista, officer-in-charge of the Department of the Interior and Local Government-Bacolod, said he will also hold a meeting with the barangay officials and village watchmen on June 29.
He said there should be a security plan for Bacolod.
“We are a highly-urbanized city so we need to provide immediate response to any crime incident,” Orbista added.