Security units on full alert following blasts in Tacurong, Cotabato City

From the Philippine Information Agency (Dec 28): Security units on full alert following blasts in Tacurong, Cotabato City

Authorities have placed all security units in the city on full alert following the series of bomb blasts and shooting incidents in the cities of Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato. Lt. Colonel Gerry Besana, executive officer of the Task Force Davao said police and military units in the city have imposed maximum presence in areas of convergence like public markets, malls, terminals, ports, and airport and the city streets to keep the residents safe and to enhance people’s confidence as they go around for the holidays. He said tighter inspection on public and private vehicles is also observed on the three entry-points to the city in Barangays Sirawan, Lacson and Lasang. “We are on full alert given the security concerns of other areas in Mindanao,” Besana said.

Members of the Task Force Davao and the Davao City Police Office wasted no time in responding to calls about suspicious objects left in public places. The latest response was at 11 p.m. Thursday, when Explosive and Ordnance specialists from the TF Davao and DCPO used a water disruptor to open a water canister left outside a real estate firm along Bonifacio Street. SPO1 Dennis Conaco , a bomb specialist of the DCPO said the first impression of the K-9 which inspected the item did not indicate the item had explosives . He said they had to forcibly open the item through water disruptors which produced a minor explosion to look into the contents of the suspicious object. “Both ends of the canister were tightly locked and Army ordinance experts had no other choice but to use a water disruptor for us to see its contents,” said.

http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=2381356658472