DAVAO CITY—The City Council is creating an ordinance that will strengthen the security measures of Davao against terrorist groups.
The council wants to punish the act of recruiting members to ISIS and to their allied local terrorist groups, including those professing their support. Councilors also want to penalize the manufacture and distribution of propaganda materials and failure to report ISIS-related activities to law enforcement agencies.
Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte said the draft ordinance is now undergoing committee hearing for its finalization, and he plans to present it to the City Council within the month.
“We are now creating committee hearings for the said ordinance, and hope to have it within two to three weeks or before the month ends,” he said.
Duterte said all violators of this ordinance will be fined P5,000 and imprisoned for one year.
“We might also ask the BJMP [Bureau of Jail Management and Penology] to isolate those who will be caught, to prevent them from recruiting further,” he said.
The vice mayor said the council is also drafting an ordinance penalizing the owners of unattended bags and packages, which are often mistaken for bombs.
Duterte said the penalty will come after the local bomb squad finishes checking the unattended items.
“If you left your bag or package in any public place, you must return immediately to get it, because if you arrive after the bomb squad finished checking your things, you will be penalized,” the vice mayor said. “This is to prevent panic, and to remind everyone to be always cautious with their things.”
He said the ordinance will also mandate people to put their names, address and contact numbers on all packages that will enter transport terminals, sea and air ports, and other public places to easily trace the owner of the item.
The council is also studying penalties they could impose on people who have acquired fake identification cards.
Last week, the National Bureau of Investigation in Region 11 raided a mall here that was known as the lair of forgers, leading to the apprehension of Mark Anthony M. Pasion.
Pasion was caught in the act forging one Bureau of Internal Revenue Taxpayers’ Identification Number and PhilHealth ID.
Last month, Davao City Police Director Sr. Supt. Alexander Tagum said police had monitored around 1,000 individuals who acquired fake IDs days after the declaration of martial law in Mindanao.