Iligan City beefs up firepower to counter terror threat

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 19): Iligan City beefs up firepower to counter terror threat

The City of Iligan, 88 kilometers west of here, is beefing up the armament of the local police to boost their capability to counter terror threats from neighboring areas.

“The City Council of Iligan has approved the acquisition of two armored personnel carriers (APC), five 60 caliber light machine guns, and one 50 caliber Barret (a high-powered sniper weapon with an effective range of 1,000 meters),” Jo Pantoja, the city’s spokesperson, said Wednesday.

In a telephone interview, Pantoja told the Philippine News Agency that the items would likely be delivered by mid-year after the Department of National Defense (DND) gave the city government the clearance to acquire the military asset.

Aside from the APCs and the high-powered weapons, the city government has also approved the purchase of a Helicopter that would conduct regular aerial patrol in the borders and the outskirts of the city, Pantoja said.

He said that the helicopter is expected to be delivered early next year as the DND and the city government exchanged notes on who and how the helicopter is going to be maintained.

Iligan City Mayor Celso Regencia has been using his approved PHP 70 million “peace and order fund” to acquire the war materiel to beef up the capability of the local police in the fight against all forms of criminality, Pantoja said.

According to Pantoja, the local police in Iligan City has a fleet of 18 newly acquired patrol cars that conduct regular patrol around the city.

Last February, a carnapped pickup vehicle from Cagayan De Oro City was recovered in the outskirts of Iligan City after the local police gave chase when alerted of the incident.

One suspect was killed and another arrested and was charged in court, Pantoja said, adding the suspects thought that only one police patrol vehicle was chasing them.

He said that the suspects were taken by surprise when they were cornered by about a dozen police patrol cars, before they could escape to the neighboring city of Marawi in Lanao Del Sur, 39 kilometers southwest of Iligan City.

“The carnapped pickup, a Ford Ranger, was recovered and turned over to the rightful owner,” he said.

Pantoja said that since the filing of charges against one of the suspects, the city government and the city’s Hall of Justice had been receiving threats of terror attacks by the Lanao del Sur-based Maute terror group.

While the city’s peace and order situation remains stable, the terror threats prompted the city government to be extravigilant and decided to acquire the war materiel to deter any attempts by criminal elements to sow terror in the city, Pantoja said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=980964