ARMY Col. Erwin Bernard Neri is the new Task Force commander of Davao City, replacing Col. Henry Robinson Jr., a week after the deadly near midnight bombing on Sept. 2 that killed 15 people and wounded 70 others in President Rodrigo Duterte’s own home city.
City Mayor Sara Carpio, who attended the turnover ceremony Thursday, had previously disclosed she lost two of her unborn triplets, but stopped short of attributing the miscarriage to the grisly incident that sent shock waves across the city and the country’s other urban centers.
Carpio had asked for the relief of Robinson and city police chief Sr. Supt. Michael John Dubria, but Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa has yet to designate Dubria’s replacement.
“As I assume (the post) today, I intend to immediately hit the ground and buckle down to work. Rest assured that Task Force Davao will be with a strong and resilient people of Davao City and hand in hand we will overcome the effect of the terror attack in our city on Sept. 2 and convert it into an opportunity of synergizing the strength and capabilities of the different stakeholders in maintaining peace and tranquility in the city,” Neri said.
Although President Duterte denied there was no “failure of intelligence,” security experts have suggested the cohesiveness of intelligence operations among government agencies in the city are not that solid.
Neri, a 1988 graduate of the Phjilippine Military Academy, said, “Let us work for intelligence fusion to strengthen intelligence monitoring to cover all areas of concern. However, intelligence does not only come from our intelligence units but also from the community.
“Let us involve them not only by informing them about terrorism but also teach them to be more vigilant in monitoring, reporting and the practice of personal safety and security. We really have to raise the level of awareness of everyone to detect and prevent the various threats in our midst.”
He added, “To Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, ma’am, and to the people of Davao City, to my immediate commanders, I assure you of my full commitment, dedication and focus in the discharge of my assigned tasks. With the challenges ahead I will see to it that the task will be done and that the people will remain confident we are protectors of Davao City.”
