ORIENTAL SECURITY TF DENIES ARREST OF ALLEGED MAUTE

The Negros Oriental Joint Task Force on Security denied reports that an alleged member of the terrorist Maute group has been arrested. In a statement, the group said that the San Jose Municipal Police Station has not apprehended any Muslim for any violation or arrested for any crime for the last five days in San Jose. "More so, no information has been taken from any one by the San Jose Police Station on the arrested alleged Maute member that an impending terrorist plan will be undertaken by the extremists Maute group here in Negros," the statement said. Whoever has the guts to spread that information had not thought of it responsibly, Bimbo G. Miraflor, executive director of the JTF Leon Kilat. Miraflor said that "the report had been intentionally disseminated to cause undue public panic. It is a fake news so to speak." "Let us be prudent and responsible in posting sensitive information in social media platforms. If there are questions that you might want to know the answers from, ask the authorities. Never solicit answers and opinions from friends in social media especially if they relate to national security, Your friends couldn't give you appropriate or definite answers," he pointed out. Miraflor added that "Negros Oriental is generally peaceful. Let it be said, however, that we should not be easy and complacent. Let us remain on guard and super vigilant within our respective neighborhoods and communities." "With the proactive measures that the Provincial Government, the JTFS, the AFP, PNP, and Coast Guard are doing, together with the Army's surgical operations in many parts of the province, and the Navy's strategic deployment of naval assets along the maritime waters of Mindanao, Bohol, Siquijor, Cebu and Negros, we are assured of a safe and secure Negros Oriental," he also said. Ultimately, with the active cooperation and participation of the community, we would be able to preserve that kind of environment where we can freely move and do our individual daily routines without fear and intimidation, Miraflor said.