PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- The provincial government of Palawan announced on Tuesday that it downgraded the warning that was issued to the public barely two days ago against a possible kidnapping threat by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).
Palawan Provincial Legal Office (PLO) chief and Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) member, Atty. Teodoro Jose Matta, said after consulting with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Western Command (Wescom), they have decided to “lower the security alert status.”
“Based on the information, the persons of interest that we were monitoring last week who are allegedly going to Palawan, have been spotted in a different area of operation and that the armed forces counterpart in Mindanao has been monitoring this group. The threat to Palawan has ceased,” he said in a press conference called at the Provincial Capitol.
However, Matta said they are still calling upon local officials and the communities, in general, to “stay vigilant and to stay alert against suspicious persons or activities” within their areas of jurisdiction.
He noted that the security of Palawan is not merely the responsibility of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the PNP, or the provincial government but the concern of everybody.
“We are enlisting your help on this matter. Also, the security posture of the province will remain strong and secured, and that Palawan is safe,” he said.
Matta on Saturday alerted local government officials and tourism operators in the province against security threats by the ASG.
Governor Jose Alvarez said he was happy that like Bohol, the province remained safe because of the vigilance of residents.
He said the information networks that were set up in different areas have helped peacekeeping forces and other security managers of the province to prevent any untoward incident last week.
“Sana huwag mangyari ang mga hindi kanais-nais na kriminalidad para mapahiya ang probinsya, para maapektuhan ang ating turismo (I hope these criminal acts will not happen to embarrass the province and to seriously affect our tourism),” Alvarez said in the same press conference.
The provincial governor said he has ordered a thorough investigation of Indonesian vessel M/L Skpt Natuna 51, which reportedly drifted to Palawan on August 9, as he does not believe it would reach the province without any crew from such a distance.
“I do not believe that at more than 2,300 kilometers away, it will reach the province. It is hard to believe that the strong winds of the southwest monsoon will drift it from the Pacific Ocean to the Western or the southeastern coast of Palawan without any crew bringing it. We will thoroughly inspect the vessel because we suspect it was brought there,” he said.
Nevertheless, Alvarez said they lowered the security alert “so people can work.”
But barangay residents should continue being vigilant.
Alvarez said the province’s security posturing has also prohibited yachts and other vessels employing the speed of 25 knots and above in Palawan seas even if their entry is legitimate.
“If they enter, we will catch them –speedboats that are running more than 25 knots on the water because this speed is only for government assets. If they are seen, they should be caught immediately,” he said.
Alvarez further said the provincial government had also invested in purchasing 30 small speedboats that can be manned by three crew and four soldiers.
“This is to assure that our tourists in Palawan are safe. If you look at it, there is no incident happening here. They (ASG) cannot simply enter without being intercepted,” he said.
The Wescom said it will likewise build up the Naval Forces West’s (Navforwest) capacity to monitor vessel activities at sea by proposing the construction of another littoral monitoring station (LMS) in Busuanga, northern Palawan.
The LMS will be operated by the Maritime Situational Awareness Center West (MSAC West) to provide a nautical operating picture of the coastal zones in the Calamianes area, which is a marine highway for cargo vessels.
Currently, there are littoral monitoring stations on Lalutaya Island, El Nido town, and barangays Melville and Mangsee in Balabac, according to Wescom information officer Captain Cherryl Tindog.
Matta further said the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) National Coast Watch System (NCWS), which will soon be operational, will also help reinforce the monitoring of coastal areas in Palawan.
Meanwhile, Alvarez said in the next five years, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and the provincial government will be establishing an air force base on a 300-hectare government property in mainland Balabac.
“It will the same size or bigger than our airport in the city. It will be a base that will cater to civilians too, but more the military. I assure this will be bigger and better,” he said, adding it is part of the provincial government’s security stance.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1044800
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