DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 4 Apr) – The City Government of Davao will install walk-in X-rays and baggage X-rays in the city’s two major checkpoints before the Lenten season this month, according to Col. Randolph G. Cabangbang, Task Force Davao deputy commander.
Task Force Davao deputy commander Col. Randolph G. Cabangbang speaks during iSpeak Forum on Thursday (4 April 2019). MindaNews photo by ANTONIO L. COLINA IV
Cabangbang told a press briefing on Thursday that the checkpoints in Sirawan, Toril and Bunawan would have two walk-in X-rays each and one baggage X-ray each as part of the efforts to improve the city’s security and hasten the checking of the baggage of the passengers.
Passengers of public utility vehicles like buses entering the city will be subjected to this new security protocol, he said.
Cabangbang said authorities would do “visual inspection” for passengers of a private vehicle, but the authorities will ask the passengers to alight and subject them to inspection if they see anything suspicious.
The X-rays would be installed in these two checkpoints because authorities have seen the high volume of vehicles passing through the Sirawan and Bunawan checkpoints, he said.
The X-rays would be permanently housed there to protect the city from threats, Cabangbang added.
He estimated around 1,500 vehicles passing through each checkpoint daily.
Cabangbang said a few vehicles would pass through the Calinan checkpoint, making it doable for soldiers to do manual inspection.
The scanners had already arrived in the city and were tested during the Ironman70.3 Davao last March 22, he said.
“It’s the latest. It has quadrants, two upper and two lower. If you are keeping a metal, the closer quadrant will sound. If the right quadrant will sound, we will go check your right pocket,” he said, adding that the X-rays would be helpful in the inspection for guns and other contrabands. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
