PNP: Davao ready for terror attacks

‘SOUTHERN STORM’ Government troops secure a shopping mall as part of an antiterror drill, called “Operation Southern Storm,” to test how government agencies and security forces will respond once terrorists strike Davao City, President Duterte’s hometown. —ARJOY M. CENIZA

DAVAO CITY — First, a “bomb blast” outside a shopping mall had several people lying dead or wounded; then, heavily armed soldiers taking position as paramedics cautiously made their way into the rubble.

As if straight from an action flick, these scenes unfolded here on Wednesday during an antiterror simulation exercise, called “Operation Southern Storm,” that security forces said would prepare the city against terror attacks.

Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Philippine National Police chief, lauded the drill as “successful and very comprehensive” as he gave responders a grade of 9.5 out of 10.

“The response and coordination of all security and law enforcement agencies in Davao City and in the region were superb. They were very prepared,” Dela Rosa said.

“If I give them 10, they might get complacent,” he later told reporters.

Command center

The Inquirer timed the drill which took only an hour. From the time of the explosion, it took security forces about 10 minutes to activate its incident command center, composed of representatives from the police, military and the city government, which served as a crisis committee to address the “attack.”

Shortly after police and security forces arrived at the blast site, the area was cordoned off and traffic flow diverted. It took about 10 minutes to transport the wounded as there was an ongoing “hostage-taking” inside the mall, prompting explosive ordnance disposal teams to clear the area due to a possible secondary explosion.

Some simulation scenes were eerily similar to the bombing of a section of the Roxas night market in downtown Davao on Sept. 2, 2016, which killed at least 15 people and wounded over 60 others.

But people complained when traffic stood still during the drill and the ensuing lockdown, which lasted a little over 10 minutes. The Task Force Davao checkpoints in the northern and southern sections of the city stopped vehicles from entering or leaving the city.

Preparedness

Dela Rosa said the drill was meant to test the preparedness of the city’s various security and disaster response units in times of man-made calamities such as terror attacks. He said the exercise was timely amid reports that Islamic State-inspired groups were recruiting fresh members to possibly launch attacks in several key cities in Mindanao to avenge their setback in Marawi City.

He said the police were not letting their guard down.

“We do this [simulation exercise] to determine how every stakeholder, from [barangay officials] to the military and police, should react and respond to similar situations,” said Director Camilo Pancratius Cascolan, PNP operations chief.

“We also do this exercise to assess our weaknesses and at the same time use our strengths,” he said.

Dela Rosa said Senior Supt. Alexander Tagum, Davao City police chief, should have taken part in the drill himself, instead of an actor, “for him to get the feel” of the situation.

He urged the public to stay calm, be vigilant and cooperate with authorities should an attack happen.

“I urge the public to follow whatever the advice or order given by concerned authorities in times like this as lives could be at stake. A little delay of movement or execution could mean [life or death],” Dela Rosa said.

Fire, hijacking

The Bureau of Fire Protection also staged a high-rise rescue during a “fire,” with firefighters rappelling down one person “rescued” from the blaze.

The drill also simulated an aircraft hijacking and counterhijacking scenario, blocking armed suspects at sea, as well as an ambush of a police convoy and attack of a police station by communist rebels.

Dela Rosa said a similar antiterror drill would be conducted in Metro Manila this month. —With reports from Allan Nawal and Joselle Badilla