Military boosts security in southern border to monitor reported new COVID-19 strain in Sabah

December 28, 2020

The military is enhancing security in the country's southern boundary amid a report of  a new strain of the coronavirus disease in Sabah.

Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Philippine Army chief, said this stance also seeks to prevent kidnappings.

"We are currently enhancing our posture at the boundary not only to monitor the new strain of COVID-19 that might be imported from Malaysia. We also want to prevent kidnapping in the area and go here in our country" he said.

"So we are currently in the state of security enhancement in the boundary of our country, particularly at the tri-boundary of Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines," said Sobejana.

"The nearest area (boundary) in Tawi-tawi is the Taganak or Turtle Island which is just 30 minutes to Sandakan," he added.

Amid the threat of a new strain of COVID-19, President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday asked Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to harness the military  to control the border of the country.

"What is important in that area is really to control the entry of the people weather or not they already have the virus in their body what we need to do is to control the borders natin and maybe General Lorenzana will be able to harness the assets of the Philippine Navy," Duterte said.

 Lorenzana assures that the military will also ban the movement of people in southern Philippines.

"We will also ban the movement of the people from Sabah to Sulu and then we will enforce the blockade of people trying to break the blockade," he said. Robina Asido/DMS