Authorities prepping security as Oro gears up for fiesta

CAGAYAN de Oro City’s police in tandem with law enforcement agencies and the Armed Forces are ready to anticipate any security threat to the city as it gears up to celebrate its annual Higalaay Festival, Mayor Rolando Uy said today.

Mayor Uy said this during his online program today, a day after a bomb scare that occurred in the city’s uptown area that resulted in traffic and alarm.

The mayor said the city police’s immediate response to the incident is an indication of the state of readiness by law enforcement agencies to anticipate any security threat to the city.

Last Thursday afternoon, residents in the uptown area were alarmed on seeing a seemingly abandoned vehicle near a commercial establishment.

K-9 teams deployed by the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) later verified that the smell emanating from the vehicle was caused by the fertilizer found inside. The identity of the car owner had yet to be verified as of this writing.

At the same time, Mayor Uy reminded the public not to cause alarm that may result in panic and injury among those within the area.

Mayor Uy confirmed that a series of meetings were held between organizers of the city’s annual Higalaay Festival and the city’s law enforcement agencies including Task Force Oro, a composite contingent that included a team from the Army’s Fourth Infantry Division.

During last Thursday’s meeting, the possibility of imposing signal jamming during core festival events was confirmed as a security measure.

In another development, Mayor Uy said the police secured the names of the perpetrators of the Aug. 2 pawnshop robbery.

“I’m not at liberty to discuss the developments in the case but a case had been filed and the city police are (closing in on them),” Mayor Uy said.

The Aug. 2 pawnshop robbery resulted in the theft of P9 million worth of jewelry and the wounding of one of the shop’s workers. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)