PH ports on heightened alert following Davao bombing

Philippine ports were put on heightened alert on Saturday following the deadly Friday night explosion at a night market in Davao City.

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said there was a need to increase safety and security in all ports, particularly in Mindanao, to deter further terror acts.

“All port managers and port police, particularly in the Mindanao region, are instructed to take all  necessary measures to make sure that there are no loose ends when it comes to safety and security,” Jay Daniel R. Santiago, PPA acting general manager, said in a directive.

Santiago also ordered port managers and port police to subject all cargoes, luggage and passengers to strict inspection procedures.

He said this would “guarantee that criminal elements will not be able to use the ports as a springboard for their unlawful activities.”

Santiago said ports in Luzon and Visayas were also placed under heightened alert since “the terror threat is not only concentrated in Mindanao but nationwide.”

While Davao City was in lockdown, the port official said commercial operations in Sasa Wharf would not be interrupted and ordered port personnel to ensure that delays would be minimal.

Aside from Davao, Santiago said the PPA was “not expecting any delays in the commercial operations despite the heightened alert status of PPA-controlled ports.”

The country’s premiere airport, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), was also placed on full alert status following the blast.