40,000 troops, 240 motorcycles, 120 patrol cars, 45 air and naval assets to be deployed

Eight heads of government of the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member-countries and Myanmar’s Foreign Minister and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, who is representing President Htin Kyaw, are due to arrive this week in Manila for the Philippines’ hosting of the 30th ASEAN Summit 2017 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

Aside from Suu Kyi, those who are confirmed to attend the ASEAN Summit are Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, and Laos President Bounnhang Vorachith. They are expected to arrive on Friday.

Activities relative to the ASEAN Summit this week include the state visits of Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on Thursday and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Friday.

Events during the 30th ASEAN Summit at the PICC on Saturday include the official welcome of ASEAN leaders, opening ceremony and plenary meeting, and the ASEAN Leaders Retreat at the Coconut Palace.

Also scheduled on Saturday are the ASEAN Leaders Interface with ASEAN representatives at the PICC, the closing ceremony also at the PICC, and a Gala Dinner to be hosted by President Duterte at Sofitel.

Duterte’s partner Honeylet Avanceña will also serve as the official hostess of ASEAN leaders’ spouses on April 29.

According to acting Interior and Local Government Secretary Catalino Cuy, who also chairs the Committee for Security, Peace and Order, and Emergency Preparedness and Response (CSPOEPR) for the ASEAN, the government spent less than P2 billion for the entire Philippine hosting of the 2017 ASEAN meetings, including security, food for personnel, car rentals, and accommodations.

The amount is lower compared to the reported P10-billion allotment of the previous administration for the Philippine hosting of at least 47 meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit last 2015.

SECURITY IN PLACE

Cuy, during the Presidential Security Group’s (PSG) media forum on ASEAN security, said the primary goal of the CSPOEPR is to ensure that there will be zero incidents during the conduct of the ASEAN activities.

CSPOEPR aims to provide protection by ensuring the safety and security of all delegates and participants and facilitate the uninterrupted conduct of all ASEAN activities.

According to Cuy, the CSPOEPR will be composed of more than 40,000 personnel, 240 motorcycles, 120 patrol cars, a total of 45 air and naval assets, 13 X-ray scanners, 42 base radios, and 1,395 handheld radios among others.

Colonel Vic Tomas, deputy commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, yesterday said he has begun deploying troops in Metro Manila as part of the preparations for the summit.

“We have been on heightened alert since last year so they (threat group) will have a hard time to plan anything because of the security plan we laid out,” Tomas said as he assured that no threat has been monitored so far.

AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said that despite the government going full force for the ASEAN Summit, “this is not the time to relax.”

“We must lean forward, keep on working until the last delegate has left our shores – confident that when they leave, they will say it is more fun in the Philippines,” Padilla said.

According to ASEAN Ambassador and National Organizing Council chair Marciano Paynor, they are expected to have their hands full as they are expecting around 1,900 delegates and around 2,000 journalists from across the globe.

IN GOD PNP TRUSTS

Despite the security preparations, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa is seeking God’s intervention to make the event peaceful and successful.

At least 41,000 people from 21 government agencies were tapped to secure the ASEAN Summit from April 26 to 29, especially the delegates from the 10-ASEAN member nations and dialogue partners and observers.

“We are giving assurance to the public that the PNP is doing its best, we are putting our best forward,” said Dela Rosa.

“We are already doing everything and if there is something that would happen, then we can say it is already beyond our control so after all our best efforts that we do humanly possible to secure the summit, we are asking God that we hope nothing bad would happen,” he added.

Although the PNP has not received any serious terror threat so far, Dela Rosa said they are not taking the ASEAN security lightly.

“We are guarding all the possible avenues of approach of the terrorist – air, land, and sea,” said Dela Rosa.

Likewise, Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez, Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, and retired Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles are praying for the safety of those attending the summit.

STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC

CSPOEPR also released a traffic advisory from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to aid commuters and motorists during the ASEAN meetings this week.

In the advisory, rerouting will be implemented along Sen. W. Diokno Blvd., Jalandoni, V. Sotto, Bukaneg, and A. Dela Rama streets in Pasay City. Occasional traffic disruption will be experienced along Pasay Road and Makati Avenue in Makati City.

Commuters and motorists are advised to take alternative routes as heavy traffic is also expected.

According to Cuy, the priority of their traffic management plan is to see to it that the event will not necessarily hamper the activities of the communities and inconvenience commuters.

He also said that roads will not be totally closed as they will be implementing a stop-and-go scheme in which the flow of traffic would only be stopped for 15 minutes to give way to the convoy of the delegates.

“We will be maximizing the use of these elevated roads. A stop-and-go traffic scheme will be implemented. Roads will not be closed totally, magkakaroon lang ng window (we will just have a window) for the VIP convoy. Traffic flow will resume after the VIP convoy passes,” he said.

PREPARATIONS

Paynor said they are now finalizing small details for the ASEAN Summit this week.

These include whether to provide pencil or pens to the delegates, the handout kits, delegation bags, among others.

“All of these we are fine-tuning at this point,” Paynor said.

He also thanked the local government units in Metro Manila for their participation in ensuring the success of the Summit.

“We thank the communities in Metro Manila for their collaboration in ensuring the success of this meeting,” he said.

PUBLIC SUPPORT

Meanwhile, Padilla emphasized the importance of public support to ensure the success of the summit.

“Public support will allow us to conduct the event with success. Without public support, the event would be a flop,” Padilla said during the PSG media forum on ASEAN security.

“It’s important to get the whole Team Philippines behind our back,” he added, citing the success of Pope Francis’ visit in January, 2015.

“Unless we gain public support, we will not be able to guarantee success,” Padilla said. (With reports from Aaron B. Recuenco, Francis T. Wakefield, and Leslie Ann G. Aquino)

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Cyrus Geducos

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