No monitored threat to security this Holy Week – Army
The Philippine Army (PA) said on Palm Sunday, March 24, that it has not monitored any security threat all around the country as it ensured the safety of Catholic faithful who are expected to visit different places of worship this "Semana Santa" or Holy Week.
The Army is on alert to make sure that the observation of the solemn period until Easter Sunday next week will be peaceful and orderly, said Col. Louie Dema-ala, Army spokesperson.
“We have not received any report regarding threats to our security. However, our monitoring is continuous and we are on alert to ensure that the coming week will be peaceful,” Dema-ala said in a radio interview over DZBB.
“Our security is intact since this Holy Week is being observed along with Ramadan. We have doubled our security preparations for these religious occasions,” he added.
Last week, Army chief, Lt. Gen. Roy Galido directed unit commanders to enhance their security preparations in support of the primary security plans prepared by the Philippine National Police (PNP) for this year’s Holy Week.
“We don’t have an exact number as to how many troops will be deployed for augmentation but all the field units were given a directive to augment the PNP’s forces especially in far-flung areas,” Dema-ala noted.
He said the public should not worry if they see Army personnel in areas of convergence such as terminals, ports, and churches.
“We have not monitored any critical area. However, this does not mean that we are downgrading our alert level, particularly in areas frequently visited by our people,” the official stated.
Meanwhile, troops on the ground were reminded by the Army leadership to be vigilant against enemies of the State such as communist rebels and local terrorists who might take advantage of the occasion to launch surprise attacks.
“Our internal security operation will continue to thwart these groups especially the New People’s Army. We hope that within the year, we can dismantle and neutralize all of the remaining guerrilla fronts of the NPA,” Dema-ala said.
So far, there are 11 “weakened” NPA guerrilla fronts in the country, which means that their leaderships have already been neutralized but they still have capable fighters that can launch surprise attacks.