BONTOC, Mountain Province. Personnel of the Mountain Province Provincial Public Safety Company based at the Mountain Province Police Provincial Office conducted a checkpoint at Dantay, Bontoc along the Bontoc-Baguio road on September 4, 2016 in relation to the declaration of the state of lawless violence by President Rody Duterte.
The declaration came hours after an explosion killed 14 people and wounded 70 others at a night market in Davao City on September 2, 2016.
Police Chief Inspector Gerald Suquip said that the conduct of the checkpoint at Dantay was based on a directive putting all PNP stations in the country on red alert.
“Ginagawa namin eto dahil eto in relation sa recent bombing sa Davao. May directive sa amin mag conduct ng checkpoint para i-secure baka may ibang plano na naman. So tinitignan natin ang mga sasakyan baka may mga bomba siguro. So, nireremind naman namin ang mga taga rito na mag-ingat lang,” Suquip said.
The checkpoint operation yielded negative results for explosives or contraband while a truck driver transporting LPG tanks was issued a warning to secure the necessary permit to engage in such of business.
A motorist interviewed said the delay caused by the checkpoint was okay since the purpose was to suppress and prevent lawlessness and violence. **Ferdie Cariño Castañeda
