DUMAGUETE CITY – The Joint Task Force (JTF) Leon Kilat of Negros Oriental is stepping up its maritime and coastal patrols via the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard to seal off the province from possible terror attacks.
JTF Leon Kilat executive director Bimbo Miraflor disclosed that this is in line with their ongoing efforts to ensure that the province and its people are safe and secure amid the terror threats in nearby Mindanao.
Miraflor also allayed public concern regarding reports of alleged ISIS presence in nearby Mindanao, following a memorandum from a Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Office in Mindanao regarding the validation of alleged “ISIS bombers and expert bomb makers” following the receipt of a text message.
According to Miraflor, upon verification, the said memo appeared authentic but the information that it contained was just subject for validation.
The memo has been circulating on social media, prompting the Task Force executive director to once more appeal to the public to not spread it around to prevent undue public panic.
Police are still verifying possible links to the ISIS following the arrests of suspected foreign terrorists that authorities say have been neutralized, Miraflor disclosed.
His sources in the military and the police have assured him that at present, there are no reports of terror threats in Negros Oriental.
Nevertheless, “a strong security presence must be maintained at all times with heightened proactive security deterrence along (the) Sulu Sea and among all points of entry from Mindanao to prevent unwarranted entry” of persons of interest and watercrafts, Miraflor further quoted his sources. (Mary Judaline Partlow/PNA)
