Military secures Malampaya amid terror threats

The Armed Forces has deployed a helicopter gunship to secure the Malampaya natural gas field off Palawan amid "increasing" terrorist threats.

Col. Restituto Padilla, Air Force spokesman, said the move is part of an overall security alert in all government flagship projects, including the Malampaya natural gas-to-power project.

The $2-billion upstream component of the $4.5-billion Malampaya project was developed and is currently operated by Shell Philippines Exploration B.V., along with Texaco Philippines and Philippine National Oil Co.-Exploration Corp.

"The increasing threat of terrorism has convinced defense officials that major national flagship projects, like the natural gas project in Malampaya, are targets of and vulnerable to terrorist attacks," Padilla said.

He, however, clarified that there is no specific threat monitored against Malampaya, saying that the deployment of the S-76A Sikorsky helicopter in the site was just in anticipation of such a plot.

The arrest of Gamal Baharan, alias Abu Khalil, in connection with the Valentine’s Day bombing in Makati City, hastened the deployment of the air assets in Palawan.

Baharan, who was arrested with a cohort in Mandaluyong City, was found to have undergone extensive diving lessons in Coron, Palawan last year, apparently as part of a terror plot.

Aside from the Abu Sayyaf, the military believes that communist rebels might be planning to sabotage the Malampaya operations, too. This, after soldiers overran the New People’s Army’s regional camp in the mountains of Paluan, Occidental Mindoro last year.

The S-76A Sikorsky helicopter, one of two which the Armed Forces has, was officially deployed during a send-off ceremony presided over by Lt. Gen. Jose Reyes, Air Force commanding general.

The newly refurbished attack helicopter will be stationed on Miniloc Island and will conduct routine patrols in the Malampaya site.

It will provide air power to the Navy’s anti-terrorism Task Force Stingray now deployed in the area.