Over the top security for US and Russian presidents

Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras is asking for understanding from the public for the disruption and inconvenience they might experience during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit happening on the third week of November.

The once-in-a-lifetime event – with 21 heads of state from APEC member countries plus Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos who has been invited as an observer  will give the Philippines its “15-minutes of global fame,” so to speak, and will be an opportunity to showcase the best the country has to offer and convince the international business community the Philippines is a great investment destination.

As it is, it will be the proverbial “best foot forward” for everybody especially when it comes to the security arrangements that are in place to make sure that no unpleasant surprises will occur  during the two-day APEC Leaders Summit. According to our friend, PNP chief General Rick Marquez, they will deploy more than enough security personnel who have been training and rehearsing for days on end to make everything as seamless as possible. The entire PNP force will be on red alert and no one will be allowed to go on leave for the duration of the conference. A secure central command center has also been set-up where everything will be monitored.

So far, only President Xi Jinping of China has not confirmed attendance – but he has not declined the invitation either. But should he decide to come, “we are ready for him any time even if he gives less than one day of notice,” said the PNP chief, who was tasked with handling the security of Pope Francis when he visited in January. General Marquez did not mention any names, but he confirmed special security arrangements were requested to the point of abrasive demands by the advance teams sent by certain heads of state. Rick Marquez says he is used to it and just shrugged it off as “trabaho lang ‘yan.”

According to US political officer Matthew Cenzer, who is coordinating the visit of president Obama like he did during the US President’s State Visit to Manila last year, it took one full year to prepare for the arrangements with security even tighter and more elaborate than Obama’s earlier visits to India or Kenya where the terrorist group al-Shabaab issued threats. The Philippine government had originally offered for Obama to stay at Marriot Hotel near the NAIA but the White House Secret Service advance team politely declined, requesting for the same hotel during the US President’s Manila visit last year.

You cannot imagine the kind of expense that will be entailed in securing the US President with two Air Force One jets (one will serve as a decoy), plus a C-17 Globemaster aircraft to transport presidential security equipment including the presidential limousine, and the Marine One presidential choppers (to ferry Obama for trips that will take over 20 minutes by land) – with Osprey V-22 aircraft also thrown in as added security. US security satellites will also be trained on the roads to track the movement of the Obama convoy. US cyber security experts will also be monitoring any suspicious online activity – in addition to the jammers and scanners that will be utilized so communication will be zero for the public.

Not to be outdone, Russian President Vladimir Putin will have his own impressive security detail – the Presidential Security Service (SBP) or the “men in black” who will not allow anyone or anybody to get in the way as far as securing Putin is concerned (they almost got into a fistfight with South African security people during a BRICS summit in Durban in 2013). If Obama has “The Beast” that can withstand bombs, Putin has an S-Class Mercedes stretch limousine that can reportedly withstand rocket propellers, although we are told this will soon be replaced by the ZiL (Zamod imeni Likhachova) made by a Russian manufacturer of heavy equipment and armored vehicles (like tanks or amphibious transporters). Putin will likely travel in a luxuriously fitted Ilyushin IL-96 jet said to cost over £44 million. Just like the US, Russian military satellites have the capability to monitor the airspace and movement on the ground, while hi-tech surveillance equipment plus encrypted satellite communications will be utilized to prevent any “eavesdropping” on the Russian President’s phone conversations.

Balesin Island: Perfect for APEC heads of state

Members of the super exclusive Balesin Island Club are so happy they can get away from the bedlam expected to happen in Metro   Manila during APEC week. All 400 suites in all the themed villas have been fully booked, with the world class amenities and secure facilities perfect for visiting royalty or global leaders like the heads of state that are coming over for the APEC Leaders Summit.

Members are also excited with the Aegle Wellness Center that recently opened at Mykonos Beach in Balesin and will also open in December at The City Club  at the Alphaland Makati Place. Unlike most other spas which are mostly glorified and fancy massage centers, the Aegle Wellness Center is equipped with scientific and best-in-class wellness equipment, boasting a complete facility for both diagnostics and various treatments such as weight management, anti-ageing and detoxification.

Balesin and City Club have a reputation for having the best so we’re not surprised that the cost allocation for the various physical facilities, diagnostic and treatment equipment plus the medical and therapeutic experts is in the vicinity of P350 million. Some Balesin and City Club members spend hundreds of thousands a year for spa and wellness treatments abroad, so they will certainly welcome this topnotch facility whose concept was developed with Dr. Claude Chauchard and Dr. Ben Valdecañas – both of whom are highly acclaimed wellness experts.

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