Heightened alert only meant to suppress terror threats

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 1): Heightened alert only meant to suppress terror threats

Malacañang on Thursday assured the public that the heightened security alert raised by the Philippine National Police is only meant to suppress terror threats and would not, in any way, disrupt their normal day-to-day lives.

In a statement, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said placing the country under terror alert level 3 is consistent with the declaration of state of national emergency on account of lawless violence declared by President Rodrigo Duterte after the Davao bombing last September 2016.

The heightened alert was announced by PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa following the discovery of an improvised explosive device (IED) near the US embassy in Metro Manila.

Two suspects have been apprehended in connection with the foiled bombing while police operations are still underway for three other suspects who remain at large.

“There is no such thing as perfect security but what is more important is authorities have successfully disarmed the IED which could have wreaked havoc to the lives of our people,” the Palace official said.

“The PNP was placed in Alert 3 to comply with PNP standard operating procedures. This puts the whole PNP in extreme alert for terrorists who might commit similar acts of planting bombs in Metro Manila,” Andanar said.

With the heightened alert, the public may expect more stringent mobile checkpoints and law enforcement operations as well as increased intelligence activities.

“But even if we have raised our security level, we assure the public that there will be no disruption in their normal lives, in the same vein that there was no change in the way they live, work, or conduct business when the country was earlier placed under a state of national emergency on account of lawless violence,” Andanar said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=944956