The venue and billeting areas for Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit delegates may have been sealed off but Director General Ronald M. dela Rosa, chief of the Philippine National Police, still wants God’s intervention to make the big event peaceful and successful.
“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.
At least 41,000 personnel 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.
Dela Rosa said that the police and the military are on top of the ASEAN security.
He assured that there would be no Bohol-like incident that would happen in Metro Manila where the summit will be held. “We are controlling the situation, we are on top of the situation,” said Dela Rosa.
The PNP was tasked to provide the main muscle for the ASEAN security along with the military – from the arrival of the delegates, security of the billeting areas, and venues of the meeting.
Although they have 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.
(Aaron B. Recuenco)
