Gov’t steps up watch for Bush visit

Mindful of the presence of al-Qaeda-linked terror groups on its soil and embarrassed by recent security lapses, the Philippines is pulling out all stops to ensure foolproof security for US President George W. Bush’s visit on Oct. 18.

National Security Adviser Roilo Golez made the assurance after President Arroyo offered to send more troops to Iraq, becoming the first world leader attending the UN General Assembly to publicly embrace a US request for help, the Washington Times reported Friday.

"We would like to send more (troops), and we hope that the United Nations can be more involved," the the Washington Times, in a front page report over the weekend, quoted Mrs. Arroyo as saying.

A greater UN involvement, she said, would "enable us to send more," possibly by helping to fund an expanded Philippine deployment.

The announcement came as Bush prepared to embark on his first trip to Manila since he sent US troops to help the government go after the Abu Sayyaf kidnap gang in Mindanao.

"We are taking all necessary security measures and will make sure nothing is compromised," Golez told AFP.

Philippine authorities are working closely with US officials in drawing up the tight security for Bush’s visit en route to Bangkok for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum summit, Golez said.

Several thousand police and military personnel, including from the elite Special Action Force trained in bomb disposal, urban combat and counter-terrorism operations, will be deployed, officials said.

The government has effectively outlawed unauthorized rallies as part of the security measures for the visit after leftist groups warned of street protests to slam Bush’s economic and trade policies and the US-led war in Iraq.

Washington sent about 40 officials earlier this month to Manila to conduct a "comprehensive site survey," of which security was a key component, according to embassy spokeswoman Karen Kelley.

Sources close to the government said Bush was originally scheduled to make a 36-hour visit to Manila but his trip was slashed to eight hours due to security concerns, highlighted recently by the escape of a self-confessed al-Qaeda-linked terrorist and a short-lived mutiny among 300 soldiers.

Indonesian Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, a leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror group, escaped from the national police headquarters at Camp Crame last July 14 with two Abu Sayyaf guerrillas.

To closely detect suspected terrorists and other criminals ahead of Bush’s visit, the Bureau of Immigration will launch this week a new computerized system at Manila’s main airport, said Andrea Domingo, the head of the bureau.

"This is a very sophisticated system for counter-terrorism," she said. — With Lito Katigbak