Security tightened around US embassy in Manila

MANILA, Philippines - Security at the US embassy was tightened following the death of the US ambassador to Libya and three other Americans in an attack on the Benghazi consulate Tuesday night.

More policemen were deployed in the vicinity of the embassy along Roxas Boulevard in Manila while the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) intensified its maritime patrol within the area.

US embassy spokesperson Bettina Malone said US President Barack Obama ordered a tightening of security in US diplomatic missions worldwide following the assault on the US consulate in Libya.

“President Obama yesterday directed an increase in security at diplomatic posts around the world, and this includes our embassy here in Manila,” Malone said.

“The US embassy appreciates the strong cooperation and support that we receive from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and security authorities in this regard,” she said.

Flags in US diplomatic posts worldwide were flown at half-staff in honor of the ambassador, Christopher Stevens, and three others who died in the attack in the eastern Libyan town.

PCG commandant Vice Admiral Edmund Tan said he ordered increased visibility in the vicinity of Manila Bay. Three teams instead of only one were sent to alternately check the vicinity.

But PCG spokesman Lieutenant Commander Armand Balilo said the heightened security is part of their routine patrol. “We just gave more attention to the US embassy but there are no reports of threat against the embassy here in Manila,” he said.

The BRP Nueva Vizcaya is reportedly stationed 3.65 nautical miles southwest of San Nicholas Shoal.

Chief Petty Officer Wilson Duco of the PCG’s search and rescue unit said there was no report of intrusion in Manila Bay yesterday morning.

“We have Operation Plan that will respond to the security concerns of embassies, especially here in Metro Manila and the official residences of diplomats and their staff,” PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo Jr. told a press briefing yesterday.

A senior military intelligence officer said the security situation in the country remains stable and they do not see any spillover of the attack.

But he said the intelligence community is not taking any chances and is stepping up its monitoring activities on groups who might take advantage of the security situation in Libya.

“The incident in Libya is a localized problem and we don’t see that it will have a security impact here in our country,” an anti-terror official said.

He said the beefing up of security around the US embassy in Manila is also part of standard operating procedure.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) condemned the attack, which it branded as “a serious violation of long-standing norms of international law with deep historical roots.”

“We are outraged by the horrific criminal and senseless act of violence in Benghazi which should be condemned by the international community,” the DFA said in a statement. – With Aurea Calica, Jess Diaz, Christina Mendez, Sandy Araneta