Zambo cops on alert over bus-bombing terror plot

Police in the Zamboanga Peninsula in Mindanao are now on alert after receiving an intelligence report that terrorists are planning to bomb buses and attack the transport sector there. Sun-Star Zamboanga (www.sunstar.com.ph) reported Sunday that port police in Zamboanga City are also strengthening security measures at the local wharf. Zamboanga Peninsula police director Chief Supt. Jaime Caringal said he ordered all his city and provincial directors to tighten security in bus terminals. While Caringal did not say what group is plotting to bomb the buses, he has asked the military’s Task Force Zamboanga to help maintain security in bus terminals in Zamboanga City. He also ordered the strict inspection of baggage and cargoes before loading to any bus scheduled to depart from one place to the other, to ensure the safety of the riding public. Caringal’s command covers the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte, and the cities of Dapitan, Dipolog, Pagadian, Isabela and Zamboanga. Vigilance On the other hand, Caringal urged the riding public to be vigilant and to immediately report to concerned authorities once they spot unattended baggage while traveling. “The people should always be alert to avoid becoming victims of lawless elements," he said. Meanwhile, Zamboanga City port police head Francisco Clavecillas recommended a single entry point for passengers of all types of boats, departing from the city. Clavecillas said it would be easy for them to inspect all people and baggage being brought into the local wharf with only one entry point. At present, he said there are two entry points where passengers of departing ferries pass through the gate in Corcuera Street while for the Visayas and Luzon in R.T. Lim Boulevard gate. Clavecillas said he would recommend that Corcuera gate be the sole entry point of all passengers since the terminal shed equipped with X-ray inspection machine is located in that area. He said they will asked management of shipping lines with boats traveling from this city to the Visayas and Luzon to provide shuttle service from the terminal to the boat for their respective passengers. He said that for now, it is only the Aleson Shipping Lines that provides shuttle service free of charge for passengers of the company’s m/v Stephanie Marie that travel from this city to Basilan and vice-versa. One entry Clavecillas said there is a need to have only one entry point of passengers to be able to strengthen security at the local wharf. Wharves are among the targets of terror attacks in the country as well as in other parts of the world. Backing up Clavecillas’s command in the maintenance of security at the local wharf are the coastguard, maritime policemen, guards of private security agencies and Task Force Zamboanga personnel. Travel warning Meanwhile, South Korea has warned its citizens not to travel to Mindanao because of possible bombings by the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist groups. Online newspaper Mindanao Examiner (www.mindanaoexaminer.com) reported Sunday that the warning came from the South Korean National Intelligence Service. The report said the warning advised citizens to refrain from traveling to "troubled regions," including the Sulu archipelago and Palawan island. South Korea did not give any specific details about the threats or whether its citizens are targets of terrorists. Many South Korean tourists travel to the Philippines, especially Cebu and Palawan for summer holidays. The Mindanao Examiner report said Philippine authorities have tightened security in many areas in the south, including Zamboanga City, where a small group of Korean tourists are staying. The United States had listed both the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya as foreign terrorist organizations and offered as much as $10 million for the capture of Indonesian bomber Dulmatin, believed hiding in Jolo island. -GMANews.TV