By: Aaron B. Recuenco
Police in Metro Manila, Region 3 (Central Luzon), Region 4-A (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon area), and the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City are on full alert from Nov. 8 to 15 for the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.
“We are prepared, we are focused on this event specifically in the areas of engagement,” said Director General Ronald M. dela Rosa, PNP chief.
“We have not monitored any present and imminent threat towards the hosting of ASEAN but we are not relaxing. We will continue to monitor and strictly monitor the security measures that is being planned and implemented one year in the making,” Dela Rosa added.
He denied rumors that some female bombers were sent to Metro Manila to carry out attacks. “They are all hoax and we expect that this time that there is a big event like this. There are a lot of influence peddlers, they are selling information, they would scare the public to maintain their relevance but that is a hoax,” said Dela Rosa.
Dela Rosa urged the public to cooperate and not go to locked down areas in the summit. “All we have to do is ask for the support of the public. They should stay away from locked down areas like the PICC and Roxas Boulevard,” said Dela Rosa.
Under a full alert status, all policemen must be present and ready for deployment, along with all the necessary equipment and other resources needed.
Malacañang has declared Nov. 13 to 15 as special non-working holidays as part of the security measures for the ASEAN Summit to be attended by US President Donald Trump and President Duterte, among other world leaders.
