Metro Manila police on heightened alert | ABS-CBN

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Metro Manila police on heightened alert

Metro Manila police on heightened alert

ABS-CBN News

 | 

Updated Aug 02, 2018 09:11 AM PHT

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A police officer inspects the documents of a motorist at a checkpoint in Metro Manila. ABS-CBN News/file photo

Metro Manila police on Thursday were placed under heightened alert after the Basilan van bomb that killed 10 people, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) head Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar said.

Eleazar said more cops are being deployed on the streets and with intelligence-gathering intensified.

He said station commanders of all police stations in the metropolis will decide whether to deploy more checkpoints.

"With what happened in Lamitan, Basilan 'di ba nagkaroon ng explosion doon. Siyempre itong Metro Manila lagi dapat tayong handa so dahil sa pangyayari na iyun we are upgrading our alert status para lang mas mapaghandaan natin. We don't want kung ano nangyari doon ay magkaroon ng spill-over dito sa atin sa Metro Manila," he said.

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Eleazar said police have yet to receive information regarding direct terrorism threats in Metro Manila.

"We are also encouraging the public to be very vigilant, just like dun sa incidents na nangyari sa ibang lugar, gusto natin na dito sa atin ma-maintain natin yung ating peace and order," he said. "Nananawagan tayo sa ating mga kababayan na maging mapagmatiyag tayo. Kung meron kayo na nakikita na out of the ordinary, ipagbigay alam nyo sa ating mga kapulisan."

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier urged the public to refrain from drawing hasty conclusions over the Basilan explosion.

The blast occurred moments after soldiers and paramilitary troopers flagged down a vehicle allegedly loaded with improvised explosive devices at a security checkpoint in Lamitan.

There are several theories about the incident, which "are just pure speculation at this time and are now the subject of an investigation," Lorenzana said in a statement.

"As such, I enjoin everyone not to jump to any conclusion and just allow our investigators to do their job," he added.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the bombing attack, which it called "a martyrdom operation".

A soldier who witnessed the attack, meanwhile, told radio DZMM that the driver spoke in an unfamiliar language.

Military spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo has said security forces were investigating and there was no basis yet to conclude that the incident was a suicide bombing or had been carried out by a foreigner. - with reports from Isay Reyes and Jekki Pascual, ABS-CBN News

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