Gov. Edgar Chatto on Monday highlighted the need for a more efficient Barangay Intelligence Network (BIN) to further tighten security in Bohol after the incursion of Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits into the province last month.
Chatto urged barangay officials particularly those in coastal areas to improve the BIN as part of the province’s frontline defense against threats as he acknowledged the system’s success in thwarting the ASG from carrying out any terrorist activity.
The BIN was established to help stamp out criminality and to improve peace and order in areas where it is implemented through monitoring and verification of reports on various threats.
During the “Kita ug ang Gobernador†program on Friday, Chatto said that the BIN is connected down to the purok (sub-village) level which makes it vital in thwarting terrorist plans or any harmful activities.
In two clashes between government troops and ASG bandits last month—in Inabanga and Clarin—villagers reports and the information’s quick conveyance played a crucial role in preempting activities of the militant group in the province.
Amid the continued hunt for three ASG stragglers in the province, Chatto urged the public to remain vigilant but not live in fear which, he said, is what terrorism feeds on.
Chatto asked residents to show strength by being alert in notifying authorities of suspicious activities and personalities in communities. (R. Tutas)