Lapu-Lapu to get more APEC cops

CEBU, Philippines – Additional police personnel will be deployed in Lapu-Lapu City for next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum which will take place in Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa.

Senior Superintendent Armando Radoc, officer-in-charge of Lapu-Lapu City Police Office, told The FREEMAN that the Police Regional Office-7 will send another set of policemen in the city.

"Base sa among meeting in Parklane (Hotel), mo-additional ta og few police personnel. Wala pa ta'y exact figures kung pila kay mag-agad ta sa Police Regional Office," Radoc said yesterday.

Earlier, Radoc said around 500 police officers coming from the provinces of Bohol and Negros Oriental have been deployed in the city since August 19.

The city's main streets are visibly dotted with policemen paired with traffic enforcers from City Traffic Management Systems (CTMS), while another group of police is stationed inside various hotels and resorts.

"Possible nga billeting sa mga delegates ang mga hotels sa city kay naa'y uban nila bisan dili accredited, adto sila mopuyo," Radoc said.

Hotel resorts like Mövenpick, Plantation Bay Resort, BE Resorts, Crimson and Shangri-La's were given police visibility, Radoc said.

So far, the city has been generally peaceful and there have been no untoward incidents responded to, according to Radoc's initial assessment.

The acting police chief also said the deployed police are still closing keeping an eye on security, even if it is peaceful.

Banking and finance ministerial meetings of 21 member-economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation will start tomorrow until September 14. The meetings will be hosted by the National Economic Development Authority and Department of Finance.

Meanwhile, energy ministerial meetings, hosted by the Department of Energy, will be October held on October 12 to 14 in the same venue.

The city government in the past two months has been busy beautifying the main roads by painting the plant boxes and center islands with branding colors of green, sky blue, orange and yellow.

Welcoming streamers were also placed below lightposts on the center aisles of the Manuel L. Quezon Highway and the roads of Barangay Ibo and Barangay Pusok.