General Santos taps barangays to counter terrorism

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — To counter the growing threat of terrorism plaguing this city, the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved the other day a barangay-wide monitoring program dubbed Ugnayan to check the movements of suspicious-looking individuals in communities.

But several hours after the city council approved the program, an improvised, battery-operated explosive was found tucked in one of the pockets of a black jacket displayed at the garment section of Gaisano Shopping Mall. Army bomb experts, led by M/Sgt. Edgar Olata, promptly defused the bomb.

Councilor Eduardo Leyson III, chairman of the committee on police and public safety, said the Ugnayan program was conceived to help the police and the military thwart any terrorist plot on the community level.

Leyson said the public is actually more vigilant and cooperative with the authorities now.

The city has been rocked by a spate of bombings, including the April 21 blasts at the Fitmart Shopping Center that claimed the lives of 15 people and injured at least 60 others. — John Paul Jubelag