Cebu Capitol exec says province ready against kidnapping, terror attack

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 29): Cebu Capitol exec says province ready against kidnapping, terror attack

An official of the Cebu Provincial Government said Tuesday the province is ready against possible kidnappings and terror attacks.

Cebu Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino made the statement after the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command (AFP-Centcom) conducted Tuesday a simulated exercise dubbed as “Oplan: Pag-abog,” the inter-operability and response testing operation against possible terrorist attacks in the province.

In a simulated kidnapping scenario held in southern Cebu on Tuesday, personnel from the AFP-Centcom, Philippine Army, Philippine Navy, Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) demonstrated response capability in handling kidnap operation.

Among the agencies involved in the rescue action were the Philippine National Police (PNP), Cebu Provincial Government and local government units of Sibonga and Santander in southern Cebu.

Tolentino said among the purposes of the security maneuver was to organize the forces of the Cebu Capitol and involved agencies in responding to incidents such as kidnapping.

In an unannounced simulated kidnapping and hostage-taking scenario, a tour operator reported to the PNP that foreign tourists were nabbed by three unidentified armed men while watching whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu.

The perpetrators fled through a motorized banca.

The PNP verified the report and went with the PCG for a maritime patrol in the area with air support from the Mactan Benito Ebuan Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City.

Tolentino, the designated incident commander of Oplan: Pag-abog, said choppers from Dumaguete City also supported the rescue operation while PRO 7 ordered the seaborne patrol in Mactan area.

“The PNP conducted checkpoints in Oslob for a possible Abu Sayaff presence or diversion,” he said.

Tolentino said that even if the PNP dispelled the alleged Abu Sayaff presence in Cebu, still preparation is the most effective way to combat threats.

“The inter-office collaboration aims to test the inter-operability of the involved agencies when a kidnapping incident will happen in the province,” he said.

Earlier this month, the US Embassy in the Philippines issued a travel warning to its citizens over alleged terrorist group’s plan to conduct kidnappings in Cebu South, particularly in Dalaguete, Santander and Sumilon island.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=944306