SURFING. Some of the participants in the ongoing national surfing competition in Borongan City, Eastern Samar that started on Sunday (Dec. 15, 2019). Despite fears caused by the recent attacks by the New People’s Army, the local police here assured the safety of the competitors. (Photo from Surf in the City FB page)
BORONGAN CITY, Eastern Samar -- Despite fears caused by the recent attacks by the New People’s Army (NPA), the local police here have assured the safety of competitors of the five-day national surfing competition.
Both uniformed and policemen in civilian clothes are deployed in the venue of "Surfing in the City", which opened Sunday night.
Two weeks before the competition, Col. Douglas Eloja, Borongan city police chief, said security measures have been set for the safety of athletes from various parts of the country.
After the bomb attack on Dec. 13 in Libuton village that killed a policeman and two civilians and wounded several others, security measures have been tightened to secure and ensure the success of the event.
The Philippine Army has also deployed its men in the city to maintain peace and order.
A total of 103 surfers from across the Philippines are now in Borongan City, the capital of Eastern Samar, for the last leg of the Philippine Surfing Championship, dubbed the biggest tourism event so far for the city.
The event was organized by the Surfriders Club Eastern Samar (SCES), in cooperation with the Philippine Surfing Championship Tour (PSCT), and the Department of Tourism.
SCES president Rupert Ambil said they never thought of postponing the event despite security threats after the attack.
“There were people who asked us if the event will push through. We were concerned, but it never crossed our mind to cancel it,” Ambil said in an interview on Tuesday.
“What we did is we talked with the officials from the Philippine National Police and the military for them to lay down security measures because they are expert on it,” he added.
Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda said the incident has raised the level of vigilance of locals.
This is the second attack by the NPA on government forces this year. Last month, a landmine explosion in an upland village killed six soldiers and wounded 20 others from the government troops.
“We are trying hard to promote our tourism, we can't allow that incident like this will affect our enthusiasm,” Agda said.
"In general, Borongan is very peaceful. I'm appealing to people who wanted to destroy the peacefulness of our city to stop their plan. Think of the people who will be affected, the family that will be destroyed because of your actions," he added.
Borongan City is a 4th-class city and capital of Eastern Samar province with a population of 69,297. The city is 187 kilometers northeast of Tacloban, the regional capital.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1088926
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