NCRPO steps up security in Metro Manila after Jolo blasts

MANILA, Philippines — Although there were no reported terror threats in Metro Manila, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has tightened security in the capital following the two explosions in southern Mindanao that killed at least 14 people.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, NCRPO chief  Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas ordered the five police districts in the metropolis to be on alert for travelers coming from Jolo, Sulu province, and other parts of Mindanao as a precautionary measure.

“We have alerted our people; we have alerted our different district offices on the bombing incident and to monitor if anyone from Jolo arrived in their areas. We have directed our committee or chief [intelligence] to coordinate with their counterparts on the case if anyone from Mindanao came here,” he said.

But Sinas stressed that they had not monitored any imminent terror threat in the metropolis.

“What we are doing are preventive measures to assure the public that there are police operatives who are following up on the bombings in Sulu,” he said.

All explosive and ordnance disposal units were also ordered to monitor possible bomb threats and secure areas with high-foot traffic such as malls, supermarkets, plazas, transport terminals and train stations.

Sinas said each of the five police districts now had two bomb-sniffing dogs deployed from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily to these busy areas.

—Dexter Cabalza