Security measures have been stepped up at Philippine ports and airports following clashes between Islamist militants and government troops in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.
While observing normal business operations, ports in the Mindanao region are under heightened alert and stricter security, according to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
PPA told PortCalls it has advised port managers in the region to “directly coordinate with police and military authorities, heighten security levels and mandatory screenings.” Despite the tightened security, PPA said it is business as usual in Mindanao ports.
PPA has 10 port management offices and several terminals in Mindanao, including Zamboanga, Ozamiz, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Davao, General Santos, Surigao, Agusan, and Cotabato. Davao International Container Terminal, a privately operated port in Tagum City in Davao, also said it is business as usual at the terminal.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police launched joint operations in Marawi City on May 23 to capture Isnilon Hapilon, former leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group, a militant Islamist organization based in Mindanao sympathetic to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. This, after the Abu Sayyaf along with another local terrorist organization, the Maute Group, entered the city, took over a few government buildings and torched some structures, including a church, school, and the city jail.
The clashes between government troops and local terrorist groups prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in Mindanao. Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the declaration is aimed at suppressing “lawless violence and rebellion and for public safety.” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the declaration would entail the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, imposition of curfews, and setting up of checkpoints.
Duterte earlier said he may expand the coverage of martial law to Visayas, and even to Luzon, to pre-empt terror groups from Mindanao escaping to these regions.
Military operations against the terrorist groups entered its fifth day on May 27 with remnants of the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups believed to still lurk around Marawi City.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Philippine Navy have also stepped up security measures for vessels coming from Mindanao and entering the Visayan waters.
“They are conducting sea-borne patrol and intensifying their surveillance on any sea vessels, especially speedboats,” PCG Bacolod head, Lieutenant Senior Grade Jimmy Oliver Vingno, said.
Aviation security measures
On the air side, Department of Transportation officer-in-charge for aviation Manuel Antonio Tamayo said security measures have been put in place at airports nationwide.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) assured the public that terminals at the country’s main gateway Ninoy Aquino International Airport are sufficiently secure.
“We will implement stricter security measures at the airport,” MIAA general manager Ed Monreal said, adding that additional policemen and bomb-sniffing dogs have been deployed at the airport.
Airlines said their operations will also remain normal.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) said it will strive to maintain normal operations to and from the region and to operate all scheduled flights “unless the prevailing situation warrants a cancellation or delay.”
Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific Air said its operations in the region likewise remain normal, “with no restrictions or limitations imposed on air travel by the authorities.”
However, Cebu Pacific and subsidiary Cebgo strongly advised all their passengers to allot sufficient travel time to the airports due to the heightened security measures being implemented and the expected heavy traffic with numerous checkpoints being put up.
All three airline companies are allowing passengers who have booked tickets but are concerned about traveling to Mindanao at this time to rebook, reroute, or refund tickets without penalties.
PAL said effective May 23, passengers holding tickets with confirmed bookings dated May 24 to July 30 to Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Dipolog, Davao, General Santos, Ozamiz, Surigao, and Zamboanga may rebook, reroute, or refund tickets.
Cebu Pacific and Cebgo passengers flying to and from Mindanao from May 25 to May 31 may opt to rebook their tickets for free within 30 days, or place the cost of the ticket in a travel fund for future use.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
