- Found Davao City a hostile environment
By Ivy Tejano
DAVAO CITY – The local authorities denied reports of any terrorist training ground in Davao or elsewhere in Mindanao, following reports about Australian terror suspects who allegedly visited the Philippines last month.
In Wednesday’s Davao Peace and Security Press Corps briefing at The Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao, Eastern Mindanao Command spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Salvacion Evangelista stated that they have no record of such activities.
“There is no report about the matter. While it remains part of our monitoring, we only see such things on television. We can assure you that the Eastern Mindanao Command area is free from these terrorists,” Evangelista said.
Evangelista addressed the Davao reporters after the Australian counterterrorism authorities linked Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, to deadly mass shootings in Bondi Beach in Sydney, which left 16 people dead.
According to the Bureau of Immigration, the father-and-son duo reportedly traveled to the Philippines from November 1 to 28 this year, for training under the Islamic State. Reports said these two suspects declared Davao as their destination.
Evangelista clarified that Eastmincom has so far noted zero IS training centers within their areas of responsibility. She stated that the military has no information about the two Akrams and that they have no directive to investigate the matter.
“This is not a military concern. We also cannot say that terrorists slipped through, because nothing happened here,” Evangelista said, adding that the people here should not be alarmed, as the incident happened in Sydney, Australia.
Based on the records from the BI, the two Akrams arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Sydney on November 1, immediately flew to Davao, and left the Philippines on November 28 via Manila.
Police Regional Office–11 spokesperson Police Major Catherine Dela Rey said the intelligence division, in coordination with other agencies, is verifying the actual presence of the father and son in Davao Region.
“We are validating if they indeed arrived in Davao, where they stayed, who they met with, or if they merely passed through to another part of Mindanao,” Dela Rey said. “We are investigating the matter because this concerns the entire Philippines.”
Dela Rey assured the public that there is no active threat in the region. “Right now, we don’t have any threat. We are trying our best to avoid that through the ‘culture of security’ where the community reports anything suspicious,” she said.
The PRO–11 spokesperson said police deployment in the region will remain unchanged. She added that they will only augment if necessary. “It is the same security arrangement in celebration of Christmas and the upcoming New Year.”
Dela Rey said the overall assessment in the Davao Region is very peaceful. She added that they have maintained this status throughout the year and would continue to do so through the continuous tightening of borders and inside security.
Police Captain Hazel Tuazon, spokesperson for the Davao City Police Office, emphasized that, although there are no confirmed threats in the city, their monitoring is ongoing in coordination with partner agencies.
“We remain vigilant. Let us remain cautious, regardless of whether there is a threat. Security augmentation in the city remains the same. If the Akrams are still here, rest assured we will coordinate with other agencies to arrest them,” Tuazon said. This statement however raised eyebrows since the elder Akram was shot dead at the scene of the incident while his son is already in custody of Australian authorities.
The authorities continue to urge the public to report any suspicious activities as part of Davao’s community-based security program. “Maintaining peace and order is a shared responsibility.”
Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte sneered at Western news reports , the Philippines Mainstream media and online commentaries that tended to link Davao in international crime. He however, he described his statement as a joke and that he was guessing.
The City government had long established a network of “tripping points” throughout the city. Established during the incumbency of then Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte the tripping points are actually part of the intelligence network of the city that monitors movements and activities of suspected characters. It can be recalled that a member of Jemaan Islamiyah terrorist group out to explode an improvised bomb in the crowd at the People’s Park was reported by one of the tripping points based in the Muslim Community adjacent to the mini-forest park in Davao City where the JI operative thought is a friendly family.
The suspected terrorist, identified as Mohd Noor Fikrie Bin Abud Kahar, was fatally shot by the Davao City Police then led by Col..Bato dela Rosa.
The Akrams must have found the Davao City environment hostile, they stayed in their hotel most of the time and finally left.
