People helped make Summit secure: Security officials laud support of Cebuanos

The cooperation of the Cebuano people has been a key to the successful hosting of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, said the officials in charge of securing the event and the delegates.

Police officials in-charge of security for the four-day international gathering together with the local officials lauded the people of Cebu for extending support in the efforts to secure the 17 heads of state and the hundreds of other delegates and guests present.

"We share this proud moment of glory with the Cebuanos for helping us and for making it easy for us," said Director General Oscar Calderon, the national police chief.

He made this statement during the weekly forum, Talakayan sa Isyung Pulis (TSIP) hosted by PNP spokesman, Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao Jr. held at the small briefing room in the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).

He also thanked his men and the elements from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for being steadfast in performing their duties.

Some 6,000 PNP personnel backed by troops from AFP, emergency services, and other agencies, were mobilized for security and support services during the four-day international gathering. The police official said that awards will be given to those who took part in the effort.

Calderon said the summit is the second best thing that happened to Cebu after the Battle of Mactan fought on April 27, 1521, which marked the first organized resistance of the Filipinos against foreign invaders. This was when the warriors of Lapu-Lapu, the chieftain of Mactan Island, defeated Spanish sailors and soldiers under Portuguese captain and explorer Ferdinand Magellan.

Calderon said he was vindicated with the success of the summit and that he was right all along in saying Cebu is a safe place to host the said international gathering despite the travel advisories issued by the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, about imminent threat of terrorism.

These travel advisories issued last December drew speculations that there was really a threat that was real reason why the summit was postponed. Organizers however shrugged off the rumos saying that it was only the threat posed by typhoon Seniang that forced the rescheduling.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday highlighted the willingness of the Cebuanos as a major factor in the success of the summit.

"The willingness was all over the place. People were very good in how they gave assistance...in how they are tolerant," Osmeña said.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who was the co-chairperson of the Cebu Organizing Committee, said she is extremely grateful to the hundreds of Cebuanos and those people coming from Manila "who have been working tirelessly" to ensure a successful hosting of the twin summits.

Calderon said that during their nightly evaluation and critique during the summit preparations, a prominent observation was the cooperation of the Cebuanos. He further emphasized the "culture of the Cebuanos and the strategic location of Cebu" made way for a triumphant hosting of the twin summits.

Darkest Moments

Even if there was no threat from terrorist groups in Cebu, summit organizers yesterday admitted that they were really bothered by the bombings in three key cities of Mindanao on the eve of the summit.

"The darkest day of the week was Wednesday night," said Ambassador Victoriano Lecaros, spokesman for the summit.

During the 888 News Forum at Marco Polo Plaza yesterday, Lecaros made it clear that terrorist threats are always there in any places where heads of states are meeting, but the holding of the ASEAN Summit in Cebu was not threatened.

Although Lecaros said the Mindanao bombings were not really that big, it was enough for the terrorists to make a statement.

"Dili gyud daku nga hitaboa pero enough to make a statement, di mahimo i-ignore," Lecaros said.

He said that terrorist groups such as the Abu Sayyaf Group and the Jemaah Islamiyah have been losing the fight since the past weeks and what they did in Mindanao in time of the arrivals of the Summit delegates in Cebu were just a matter of revenge.

But when the heads of state met on Saturday, Lecaros said that all the untoward incidents that occurred in the country became irrelevant since the delegates stuck to their agenda.

Thanksgiving Mass

Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal celebrated a thanksgiving mass at the CICC early last night.

In the mass attended by summit organizers and volunteers, Vidal said that he heaved a sigh of relief after the summit ended. "Like all of you, I too heaved a sigh of relief when the summit ended yesterday. It is not that I did not welcome our guests to Cebu. But like anyone, who has guests in the house, it is always a relief when guests depart, for we are always concerned about their welfare and safety. We are anxious to make their stay comfortable and memorable, and their departure means we have done their job well," he said.

"And so when the last airplane departed yesterday, I prayed a silent prayer of thanksgiving to God for hearing the prayers of his people and sending his holy angels to guard Cebu during those days of the summit. Now, as the leaders depart, let us not send the holy angels away, let us tell them to stay so that we will always have peace and progress in our city, in our province and in our country."

Vidal said that he often heard critics asking what did the summit offer us in concrete terms and what has it done to the lives of ordinary people?

"I say look at our roads, look at this convention center. Are these not concrete enough in the lateral sense?

Vidal also urged the people to live their lives following the theme of the summit by initiating efforts to care and share in our own communities.

"By giving attention to our country's social concerns, we can make our peoples lives summit or no summit. The key word is people and as long as we have real persons in the heart of all our plans for development, our actions will never go to waste."

Militants

Lecaros however would not confirm nor deny allegations that the government paid leaders of militant groups P5 million for them not to hold rallies during the summit.

Chief Supt. Silverio Alarcio, director of the Police Regional Office-7, said appropriate charges were already filed against the rallyists, who were apprehended near the CICC.

The militants however said that they are going to file counter charges, which Alarcio welcomed saying that the police were just doing their job.

Mayor Osmeña said that the plan of militant groups to file charges against the police is their legal right. He however pointed out that the filing of charges does not mean that the police are guilty.

He even lauded the police by saying, "generally speaking, the police acted better than normal."