AFP acknowledges security is fragile in Zamboanga City

From InterAksyon (Nov 10): AFP acknowledges security is fragile in Zamboanga City

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. acknowledged on Monday some fragility in security measures in and around Zamboanga City, following two explosions Sunday night that hit a building and wounded a member of the police's Explosive Ordnance Division (EOD) and his K-9 bomb sniffing dog.

"The latest we knew is that there was a second explosion where the PNP member was wounded. That's why I intend to go back (to Zamboanga City) because I'm not completely satisfied with the security arrangements in place there," Catapang told journalists in a news conference at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Catapang said that, of the 95 barangays of the city, only 20 so far are deemed to have been adequately covered by security forces.

"Troops are concentrated mostly in 20 or so barangays, mainly within the center perimetry of the city. So, I was telling all the barangay officials they should be involved in maintaining peace and order in the city, that was my suggestion to them," Catapang said.

As for the troops, Catapang said he strictly directed them to be vigilant especially in conducting security checks and patrol, and monitoring the ingress or movements of motor vehicles and surveillance of passengers.

Catapang, however, was cautious in classifying the explosions as terror-related acts or perhaps "diversionary tactics" by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and its ally, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), even as intensified military operations continue in their island bastions of Sulu and Basilan.

"Our forensics people are still checking for tell-tale signatures on what kind of bombs were exploded," he said.

In Sulu, the military continues to launch operations against the bandits since the release of their two German captives more than two weeks ago amid allegations of a P250-million payoff.

Pursuing ground troops have, so far, found abandoned bandit camps but inflict no casualties on the side of ASG.

Despite the recent setback in Basilan, where six soldiers, including a neophyte young lieutenant, were killed during an attack by Abu Sayyaf bandits, Catapang said the operational momentum is on the government's side.

"The marching order of our President is to put a stop to the atrocities that ASG is committing, and we are now doing that in Jolo. We have the cooperation of the people; the cause-oriented and civil society groups themselves were the ones who told me that they want peace," he said.

"What I want to happen now in Basilan is to establish a rapport with the people there to help them claim the peace that they want ... I'm also suggesting that we conduct a peace and development or economic summit in Basilan so that, once and for all, we can address the root cause of the problems in the island," he added.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/98917/afp-acknowledges-security-is-fragile-in-zamboanga-city