Cebu on full alert for APEC meetings

CEBU, Philippines – The Police Regional Office-7 has declared a full alert status effective today as the second round of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings will start in Cebu this week.

Chief Superintendent Prudencio Tom Bañas, PRO-7 director, said the declaration only covers Cebu Island where the APEC meetings will be held.

Bañas, however, said he is giving the provincial directors of Bohol and Siquijor the option to also declare heightened or full alert status in their respective areas depending on the need.

He explained that based on their experience during the first round of the APEC meetings, some delegates went on island hopping in Bohol without their knowledge.

“Kasi nga yung experience na during last APEC, there were a lot of delegates who went to Bohol and we need to secure them so we will look into that matter,” he said.

Bañas said they could not stop these foreign delegates from going to other islands since this is also the purpose of the APEC summit, “to give delegates wider perspective on the tourist spots that the Philippines have.”

“Our responsibility is to secure them. So if they want to go there, then we have to make preparations to secure them,” said Bañas.

He said that unlike in the first round of meetings where the regional office asked for augmentation personnel from Bohol and Siquijor, Banas said the meetings on October 8 to 14, 2015 will be secured solely by policemen in Cebu.

Senior Superintendent Rey Lyndon Lawas, chief of the Regional Directorial Staff, said around 300 to 700 participants are expected to attend in the second round of APEC meetings. The number is way below the 3,200 participants during the first round of meetings.

Lawas said tighter security will be imposed since most of the delegates this time are already ministers from participating economies who will join the transportation and the energy ministerial meetings. —/FPL (FREEMAN)