THE two men who were earlier reported as armed persons in the island of Olango, Lapu-Lapu City were fishermen and not members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), said Mayor Paz Radaza.
The two men were reportedly there for spearfishing, she said.
Radaza said that she was told by the local police that the armed persons' report was a “false alarm.”
“Ang polis niingon sila (Police said) it was a false alarm. Pasalamat ko sa kapulisan nga niadto gyud dayon sila sa isla (I am thankful to the police that they immediately went to check the island),” said Radaza.
Last April 20, a woman reported to the chief of Barangay San Vicente that she saw two persons with long firearms and wearing masks in a bushy area in their village.
Lapu-Lapu City Police Office Director Rommel Cabagnot led his men in going to Olango and scoured the island for two days but the report turned out negative.
Members of the Philippine Navy and Army also helped the police in the search.
“Gi-confirm gyud to katong nagdala sa bugsay unya nagbutang siya og mask tungod sa kainit sa panahon unya nagtakiang kay naay sakit sa tiil (It was confirmed by a fisherman that he passed by the area where the woman reportedly saw an armed person. He was wearing a mask as his protection from the heat. He also had a problem in his foot that’s why he was limping),” said Radaza.
Gone fishing
The mayor said that the area is also a regular path of some fishermen who would go on spearfishing.
In a separate interview, Cabagnot said that the island will still be monitored for possible presence of armed persons even if it has been cleared from ASG intrusion.
However, Cabagnot said that the woman stood firm on her words that she saw two armed men in San Vicente last week.
He said that the woman signed an affidavit to prove that she was not lying when she claimed that she saw masked men with long firearms in the village.
The various items like dried fish, the can believed to have been used in cooking the food and some stalks of malunggay found in Sitio Bas Coral, Barangay San Vicente where the woman allegedly saw the armed persons were just brought there by a group of children, said Cabagnot.
“There’s no indication of the presence of bandits in Olango,” Cabagnot said in Cebuano.
The Lapu-Lapu City Government and the city police force have stepped up security measures in preparation for this week's Kadaugan sa Mactan celebrations.
