TERROR FIGHTERS. (From left) Captain Cherryl Tindog, chief of the Public Affairs Office of the Western Command in Palawan; Senior Superintendent Ronnie Bacuel, deputy chief of the City Police Office; Lieutenant Colonel Dante Robert Grasparil, head of the Joint Task Group Puerto Princesa; Mayor Lucilo Bayron of Puerto Princesa City; Puerto Princesa City Legal Officer Atty. Arnel Pedrosa; Acting Puerto Princesa Vice Mayor Nancy Socrates, and Senior Inspector Mylene Petallo of the 2nd Special Operations Unit-Maritime Group during the signing of the ordinance that legally binds the urban anti-terrorism task group on Monday (March 19, 2018). (Photo by CARF)
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan --Mayor Lucilo Bayron signed on Monday the ordinance that formed a joint urban anti-terrorism task group to guard Puerto Princesa’s public safety and security.
Ordinance No. 916, sponsored by the City Council’s Committee on Peace and Order and Public Safety, was passed on March 10 and prescribed the activation of the Joint Task Group Puerto Princesa (JTGPP) by the Western Command (Wescom).
“It is timely that we created this. We requested for this, we requested Wescom commander Lt. Gen. (Rozzano) Briguez if a task group can be commissioned to eventually include other law enforcement agencies later. It was good that his response was instant since he has sufficient powers to form this,” Bayron said.
He said the task group, now composed of troops from the 3rd Marine Brigade (3MBDE) and maritime police personnel of the 2nd Special Operations Unit-Maritime Group, can be later joined by other uniformed branches, such as the Philippine Coast Guard, and also private blue guards securing malls and other vital installations.
“It is like a support group to the police force. If the police say we have an event there and we lacked people on the ground, the task group can augment the lack of personnel. This was patterned after Davao City, which has Task Force Davao composed of the Philippine Army. Coast Guard has a big sea asset, and we can use that to also secure Puerto Princesa,” he said.
Bayron said it was formed not only to secure vital installations, but also places that cater to crowds, and all entry points, including open access river systems in Puerto Princesa.
He denied that the task group was created due to a terrorism-related security issue.
“I just want to clarify that this task group was created not because there is an existing security issue. We only want to be one step ahead, where our security and safety is concerned, and so they can already build understanding with the people in our communities for our responses to be fast,” Bayron added.
His claim was supported by Senior Supt. Ronnie Bacuel, City Police Office (CPO) deputy chief, who said there is presently no security threat in Puerto Princesa.
“So far, based on our intelligence reports, there is no security threat here. But since the city is part of Palawan, the creation of this task group is very important because it will help us in securing the city,” he said, adding that they will play a lead role in the task group.
Capt. Cherryl Tindog, the chief of the Wescom’s Public Affairs Office, added that there is no current threat in the city.
“Terrorism threat can happen anywhere because people come and go in our city, and then we are also addressing the internal threat posed by the communist-terrorist group New People’s Army. They move around visiting barangays that is why we have a task group for us to isolate the city from that influence coming from the communist-terrorist,” she said.
The task group will also conduct information campaign against the communist-terrorist group to prevent it from influencing the grassroots against the government.
“We want to educate the people to adopt the reporting system on how to report the presence of the communist-terrorist group because if the information does not reach us from the far barangays, we won’t be able to immediately address the problem,” she added.
Lt. Col. Dante Robert Grasparil, who will head the JTGPP under Wescom’s Joint Task Force Peacock (JTFP), said it intends to unify the uniformed services in securing the city against terror threats.
“The joint task group wishes to help in undertaking the security of the city. We intend to have a unified effort in our efforts, so we will be working with all the branches of service, as well as the local government unit,” he said.
Under the ordinance, the special operations body will be headed by Bayron as chairman and co-chaired by the CPO.
Aside from the 3MBDE by Wescom, it will also include the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for drug-related events, and the chairmen of the city's 66 barangays.
For duties and responsibilities, the task group has to convene at least twice a month, except in cases of emergency; formulate peacekeeping operational plans and mechanisms and anti-terrorism and -insurgency measures, and create a special action committee to immediately address issues on peace and order and public safety among others.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1029260
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