The local government units (LGUs) of Metro Manila and the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Thursday, Dec. 7, expressed their readiness to respond to terrorist acts following a string of bomb threats perpetrated by an alleged Japanese national.

(Photo by Patrick Garcia)

During the 4th quarter full council meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) held at San Juan City, NCRPO Regional Director PBGen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. assured the public of their safety and security especially during the holiday season.

He said an investigation is already ongoing regarding the bomb threats.

Several government offices recently received an email coming from a certain Takahiro Karasawa, saying that he had planted bombs in major public buildings particularly in Manila.

"The other day, that was a Monday, marami ngang bomb threat, it is not less than five bomb threats received thru email of offices like the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Finance (DOF), Procurement Service – Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), and others. But surprisingly itong bomb threat na ito, ito rin 'yung bomb threat last August from a certain Karasawa 'yung perpetrator (The other day, that was a Monday, there were not less than five bomb threats received thru email of offices like the DILG, DOF, PS-DBM, and others. But surprisingly, this bomb threat was the same bomb threat last August from a certain Karasawa)," Nartatez said.

"All of these bomb threats and information about the placement of bombs dun sa sinasabi nila turned out to be negative. Okay din naman 'yung ginawa nating procedure. Of course, we take it seriously 'yung mga threat ng ganito at nagre-respond agad 'yung public safety forces natin not only the police but nandyan din yung ating ambulances, especially those coming from the local government units dito sa Metro Manila (All of these bomb threats and information about the placement of bombs turned out to be negative. I can also say that our response procedure was also done properly. Of course, we take these threats seriously and our public safety forces, which include not just the police but also ambulances coming from the local government units here in Metro Manila, are fully prepared to respond)," he added.

The director noted that the said bomb threat has been going on for years already and is not just being done here or sent here in the country but also in other parts of the world.

RPOC Chairman and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora had earlier urged the public to be vigilant and cautious of individuals who are acting suspiciously and immediately report them to the police.

"Dito po sa San Juan ay nagbigay na ako ng instructions sa ating kapulisan at ganun na din po sa iba't ibang mga lungsod sa Metro manila kaya kailangan talaga nating magbantay mabuti at siguraduhing kung ano mang mga suspicious activities na nakikita ay mareport agad upang maaksyunan ng mga kapulisan (Here in San Juan, I have already issued instructions to our police force as well as the police units of the other cities in Metro Manila. It is very important for everyone to be cautious and observant to ensure that any suspicious activities will be reported immediately to the police)," Zamora, who is also the Metro Manila Council (MMC) president, said.

"Hindi biro po ang nangyare sa Marawi City. Sa katunayan ako po ay nalulungkot sapagkat ilang araw lamang po ay dumalaw dito ang mayor mismo ng Marawi City at nakapag-usap pa kami kaya nagulat na lang ako sa balita na nangyare nga ito (What happened in Marawi City is a serious matter. In fact I am deeply saddened by what transpired there because a few days before, the mayor of Marawi City personally went here to visit me, hence I was shocked and in disbelief when I found out about the incident in the news)," he added.

On Dec. 3, an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded inside the Marawi City campus of the Mindanao State University (MSU) that left four people dead and around 50 others injured.

The mayor assured all Metro Manila residents that the NCRPO as well as all police forces of the different LGUs in the metropolis are doing their best to ensure the safety and peace in the region.

eReport and iReport

Meanwhile, the San Juan City local government, together with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the Philippine National Police (PNP), inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the pilot testing and launching of the eReport and iReport mobile application systems.

The iReport and eReport are a joint project of the DICT and PNP under the eGOvPH superapps, a single operating platform of the government that enables users to avail of frontline services using their mobile device.

The eReport is a customer feedback component where users can submit complaints, reports, concerns, issues about the government as well as report crimes as they happen in their community with just a few clicks in their phones. These reports will then be received via the Law Enforcement Management System or the iReport of PNP.

The app also integrates various government services into a single platform, allowing the public to easily report crimes.

On the other hand, iReport will then forward the report to the nearest patrol officer on duty so they can respond to the crime report in just a few minutes and resolve the incident or hand it over to an investigator. The iReport also tracks and monitors the mobile devices of the patrol officers.

This will also record reports for the provision of statistical data to be used for planning and implementation.