Phl steps up security preparations for ADB meeting

MANILA, Philippines - Government officials are fine-tuning the security preparations for the 45th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Board of Governors hosted by the Philippine government from May 2 to 5.

Philippine Center for Transnational Crime (PCTC) executive director Felizardo Serapio Jr. said they have yet to monitor specific threats in connection with the ADB meeting, considered a significant event in the finance and business world’s yearly calendar.

The ADB meeting next month are expected to gather an estimated 4,000 officials and delegates from ADB’s 67 member countries. The Philippines first hosted the same event 22 years ago.

Expert Rhoda Poliquit, program head of the Anti-Terrorism Council Program Management Center, led yesterday’s emergency drills under the Critical Incident Management Simulation Exercise (CIMSE), which was participated by over 500 employees from Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

According to the DOF, the lead agency planning the event, the ADB meeting presents a good opportunity for the Philippines to showcase its economic gains, promote its culture, products and tourists spots, and foster goodwill among its partners.

“The government, led by the DOF, is not leaving to chance the success of the event amid the country’s inherent natural hazards and political and social issues that groups may want to bring to the attention of the international delegates for the event,” said DOF undersecretary for International Finance Group Rosalia de Leon.

During the CIMSE, Poliquit asked participants to anticipate an earthquake, thus an emergency siren was sounded for 30 seconds while participants immediately observe the “dock, cover and hold.”

However, Phivolcs, PNP and DOH officials observed that some participants did not take the earthquake drills seriously, so that the drills were repeated twice.

Chief superintendent Ricardo Marquez of the PNP Directorate for Operations (DO) said uniformed and plainclothes policemen would be deployed to ensure the safety of all the delegates during their stay from May 2 to 5.

“We have prepared plans and have been rehearsing to ensure the safety of the delegates. We don’t want a repeat of the embarrassment similar to the case of an IPU delegate in 2005,” Marquez said, referring to in incident in 2005 where muggers victimized a delegate of the 112th Inter-Parliamentary Union in 2005.

He said 3,000 policemen from the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) were tapped to handle the perimeter security in the airport, hotels where the delegates will be checked in, and the venue of the event at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.

The delegates will stay in six hotels in Makati City, Pasay City and Manila, including Manila Hotel, Hyatt, Diamond, Traders and Sofitel.

“Detailed security personnel will also be staying with their delegates to ensure that they are guarded. If they are going out at night, there will be other security to ensure their safety. We are not limiting their movement during their stay here but we must see to it that they are safe,” Marquez added. – With Aie Balagtas See