Tamayo assures public safety in SoCot after Marawi bombing

Tamayo assures public safety in SoCot after Marawi bombing

By: Mike Balquin

After the bombing in Marawi City that killed four individuals and injured 43 parishioners, South Cotabato has been placed on heightened alert as the Christmas season starts on the 1st day of December.

South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo Jr., has ordered intensified security measures in the province amidst the start of the holiday season as the province expects a high volume of tourists and Christmas goers in different municipalities.

“We are not letting our guard down,” Tamayo said in a radio interview when asked about his marching orders to the local police.

Tamayo, chair of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC), has urged the extremist groups in the region to lay down their guns, abandon violent extremism, and avail of government programs designed for them.

He was told during the recent RPOC that the government forces are continuing their operation against violent extremists for those who continue to fight and welcome those who will choose the peaceful path.

“We also focused on intelligence gathering to prevent this atrocity and to protect the general public,” Tamayo added.

As president of the League of Provinces in the Philippines, Tamayo expressed his dismay over the recent terror attack in Marawi City.

Catholic faithful also sent their condemnation in what they called the “massacre of faith and believers” which came while a mass was ongoing welcoming the season of Advent.

“They will not succeed in sowing fear, we should be more vigilant not just for our safety but also for the safety of everyone,” Tamayo said.