The Tagbilaran City Aviation Security Group (Avesgroup) enlisted the aid of residents in villages near the airport to further tighten security at the city’s airstrip and help prevent terrorist attacks.

Police Senior Inspector Marvin Bolic, Avesgroup chief, said that policemen stationed at the airport have been coordinating with barangay officials to beef up monitoring in the area.

He said that they have also been establishing relationships with communities in nearby barangays, informing them of possible dangers in public places such as airports.

This, after Bolic admitted that the Avesgroup does not have enough personnel to fully monitor the two-kilometer runway of the Tagbilaran City airport and surrounding areas.

Bolic said that the efforts have also been made in accordance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s move to put the country under a “state of lawlessness.”

The Avesgroup chief noted that the number of policemen at the airport’s entrance has been doubled while those passing through the gate are being subjected to thorough security screening.

The heightened security measures in the airport have also been implemented as preparation for international trips in Tagbilaran City which will likely start in December this year.

Bolic said that once the Tagbilaran City airport starts to accommodate international flights, security will again be doubled.

According to Bolic, the Avesgroup is in need of K9 units and new security scanners where passengers pass through.

The units will help law enforcers in securing the airport as these dogs have been trained to sniff out contraband.

These units will particularly be able to sniff out illegal drugs and explosive devices, Bolic said. (Allen Doydora)