AS the city marked the fifth anniversary of the deadly Roxas Night Market explosion on September 2, Mayor Sara Duterte reminded everyone to continually practice the culture of security as a measure to prevent another terror attack.
On Thursday, the mayor shared a throwback photo of her offering flowers for the victims of the Roxas Night Market bombing at the memorial built on the blast site. The attack claimed the lives of 17 individuals and wounded 74 others.
“Ang September 2 ay isang malungkot na araw sa siyudad ng Davao dahil ito ang araw Roxas Night Market bombing noong 2016. Ang terorismo ay salot sa ating lipunan (September 2 is a sad day for Davao City because it was a day of the Roxas Night Market bombing in 2016. Terrorism is a scourge in our society),” the Mayor said.
She further emphasized the importance of staying vigilant in keeping the city safe and secured. Duterte urged the Davaoeños to embrace the “culture of security” – a people-centered campaign that encourages the public to adopt vigilance into their way of life.
“Patuloy ang ating kampanya dito sa siyudad ng culture of security sa lahat ng residente. Mahalaga ang mag volunteer, participate, remind at report ang bawat laban sa terorismo. Patuloy din ang ating kampanya sa pagpapa-alala na “Kapag May Nakita, Dapat Magsalita (We will continue to campaign the Culture of Security for our residents in the city. It is important to Volunteer, Participate, Remind and Report in our fight against terrorism. We will also continue to remind “Kapag May Nakita, Dapat Magsalita).” the mayor said.
The culture of security encourages the public to volunteer themselves for inspection and help in the implementation of security measures in the city and reporting of all suspicious persons and activity in the community. All pieces of information are important and should be reported to the security sector.
It also aims to solicit public cooperation in the awareness campaign by reminding their friends and family of all security regulations within Davao City. The public must also take part in the implementation of the culture of security within their workplace, school, purok, or subdivision and be an active part of the community defense system.
The current COVID-19 situation prevented the city from conducting the annual activity to remember those who perished. The activity usually comes with a mass together with the families of the victims and survivors.
“Patuloy din ang ating dasal sa mapayapang pamamahinga ng mga namatay sa pagbomba. Ang larawan ay kuha nung 2020 dahil ngayong taon walang programa na magaganap dahil sa pagdami ng kaso ng COVID-19 (We also continue to pray for the souls of those who died in the bombing. The photo was taken in 2020 because this year we cannot have a program due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases),” she said.
On the other hand, Task Force Davao (TFD) has been actively engaging the public about the Culture of Security by conducting dialogues in different barangays and partnering with different sectors to raise awareness.
TF Davao commander Col. Darren Comia said the city’s security is not the sole responsibility of the security forces but it is a general concern of every Davaoeños in their role as responsible citizens.
Authorities committed that they will not let their guards down despite the pandemic and to continue securing the city against the threat of terrorism. Since 1981, the city recorded a total of eight bombing incidents.
