The Bacolod-Silay Airport in Silay City, Negros Occidental went on heightened alert and tightened security measures in the wake of the church, and mosque bombing in Jolo, and the hand grenade detonation in Zamboanga.
Ofelia Leonardo, information officer of Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) in Bacolod-Silay Airport, said in a telephone interview that declaring a heightened alert status is part of airport’s culture of safety and security whenever there is a threat. “We have additional security protocols in place,” Leonardo said.
Heightened travel alert was raised following the Tuesday meeting of the Silay Airport Security Committee, which includes the Philippine National Police-Aviation Security Group (PNP-AVSEGROUP) and the Office for Transport Security.
Leonardo said soldiers, paramilitary troopers, and policemen have augmented security at the entrance and the perimeter areas of the airport. She added that airlines have also intensified their security measures among the passengers.
The PNP has declared heightened alert nationwide after the twin blasts in Jolo, Sulu on Sunday that left 22 persons dead and more than 100 others wounded. The alert status is being implemented to ensure that no similar attack would be carried out in other regions.
With the heightened alert status, police are also mandated to intensify intelligence, search and checkpoint operations and to strictly implement the election gun ban.
Senior Supt. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson, earlier police regional offices were instructed to “initiate further security measures to preempt and prevent similar incidents to happen in your areas” and given discretionary authority to raise alert conditions in their areas of responsibility as deemed necessary.
The 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, whose area of jurisdiction includes Negros Occidental, has also doubled its efforts to thwart any terror attempt in the wake of the Jolo twin bombings. (Nanette Guadalquiver, NDB. Photo by Arman Toga )