No armored vehicle for Noy in Singapore state visit

SINGAPORE (via PLDT) – State visits for host countries are a security nightmare, but not for Singapore.

President Aquino himself made this rather startling, albeit risky, revelation to Manila-based reporters in an informal gathering before he left for Manila Friday last week, where he ensured that all agencies concerned with disaster preparedness have issued a tsunami alert.

“The vehicle we’re riding here is not armored. They (Singaporean authorities) are that confident of their security procedures here,” he said proudly of his white BMW that was provided to him, which should have been bullet or even bomb-proof in ordinary cases.

Impliedly, this means that there is not one loose firearm in this small island-state, and that government officials have full trust and confidence in both the police and military, including airport police, that they would never be tempted on firearms smuggling.

During Aquino’s US trip in September 2010 for the UN General Assembly in New York, he rode in a bulletproof limousine. The same is true with his November 2010 attendance to the APEC Summit in Yokohama, Japan, where several heads of state were present.

Aquino, a visiting head of state, also disclosed that the training here being provided by the government is martial arts, and quite surprisingly, the one that is being taught in the Philippines - arnis.

“Their training is very comprehensive, they even have martial arts training which is probably not for self-defense really, (but) rather for the enhancement of physical well-being,” he said. 

Protocol officers and presidential guards who accompanied Aquino at the Istana Palace here also observed that Singaporean authorities, or their counterparts, were sporting and carrying MP5 assault rifles.

Upon arrival of the media delegation, this writer also saw near the Changi Airport a fighter plane, probably an F-18 jet, which landed in just a few seconds. A Singaporean citizen confirmed they indeed have such aircraft.

“We have fighter jets here. We have also intensified our Navy because we are just a small island… And Malaysia and Indonesia are very near us, so they can invade us easily. So, we’re telling them: don’t fool with us,” he said.