Delegates arrive for 4-day gab on global warming

MANILA, Philippines - At least 13 foreign ministers and 24 delegates arrived in the country yesterday for the four-day “Green Asia Industry” conference at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City starting today.

Metro police chief Director Roberto Rosales said his men escorted the foreign delegates from the airport to the Sofitel Hotel, the official billeting site of the 941 local and foreign delegates to the conference to be held from Sept. 9 to 12.

“Our security and other tasking schemes for the event are in place. We expect that the foreign delegates have a peaceful stay and great experience in our country,” said Rosales.

The National Capital Region Police Office will deploy at least 5,000 policemen to secure the conference sponsored by the United Nations International Development Organization (UNIDO) on environmental issues like carbon waste, pollution and global warming.

The foreign ministers who arrived yesterday are from the countries of Maldives, India, Thailand, Nepal, Afghanistan, China, Fiji, and Mongolia. Five of the foreign delegates came from Thailand; Cambodia with four; Indonesia three; India, Vietnam, Laos, and Sri Lanka with two each while a representative each from Bangladesh, Britain, Afghanistan and Mongolia also arrived.

Aside from billeting, the NCRPO is likewise tasked to secure the venue of the conference and of re-routing traffic.

“We are satisfied with the security measures set to be implemented and also the security officers who would serve as liaison officers of the local and foreign delegates during the conference,” said Rosales.

Environmentalists

According to Rosales the gathered environmentalists are tasked to come up and maintain strategies and policies to be adopted on resource and carbon intensities in industries to minimize waste and pollution and fight climate change, and to maintain their economic competitiveness and explore new economic opportunities.

Chief Superintendent Arnie de los Santos, NCRPO’S deputy regional director for operations said a total of 5,000 police personnel would be deployed at the PICC grounds, venue, road and at the Hotel Sofitel where majority of the delegates are billeted.

De los Santos said the NCRPO will be implementing security like what they did during the humanitarian visit of the American aircraft carrier USS George Washington, the State of the Nation Address of President Arroyo, the 95th founding anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo and the wake and burial of the late President Corazon Aquino.

“We would like the international event to be peaceful and orderly so we would deploy security forces at the utmost,” said Rosales.“This early, we are advising motorists to keep away from the PICC grounds so they would not experience being frisked and questioned by security forces which might delay them.”

De los Santos said an anti-crowd disturbance management teams would be put on standby status at the PICC to prevent protesters from coming near the venue.