RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin and Indonesian President Joko Widodo have pulled out from the Asia Pacific Economic Conference Leaders’ Meeting in Manila next week.
Reports from the Kremlin said Thursday that Putin will be represented instead by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
“I can confirm that the prime minister will represent Russia at the Apec summit in Manila,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“From the viewpoint of optimization of schedules of the top leadership of the country, the president has made a decision not to go that far together with the premier for one to two days,” he said.
Peskov said the decision was to send Medvedev anyway because the prime minister had a series of meetings planned in the region.
Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Widodo backed out of the summit at the last minute because of “domestic concerns.”
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Laura del Rosario did not say what these concerns were.
The Jakarta Post reported that Vice President Jusuf Kalla will attend the summit in Widodo’s place.
Without Putin and Widodo, 18 heads of state from the Apec member economies are exected to arrive in Manila for next week’s summit.
President Benigno Aquino III ordered last-minute changes to the security arrangements Thursday.
He also ordered the organizing council of the Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting to fine-tune the security arrangements for the leaders arriving next week.
Marciano Paynor Jr., director general of the Apec 2015 National Organizing Council, said they will immediately implement the President’s instructions after he personally inspected the different venues to be used for the summit conference.
Paynor said Aquino was very concerned about the security plan for the Apec leaders and their delegations.
“He saw a lot that needed to be changed. We are implementing it. The President is very concerned “We appeal to the public who will be inconvenienced, we should bear in mind that we are the host of this important event, they are our guests, so we must give them what is due to them,” Paynor said.
On Tuesday, Aquino conducted an inspection of the various venues to be used for the Apec summit on Nov. 18 to 19, including the Philippine International Convention Center where the AELM will be held.
Aquino also inspected the Mall of Asia Arena, where the Philippines will host a welcome dinner for state leaders and their delegation—as well as Terminals 1, 2, and 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, where the state leaders will arrive and depart.
Almost 1,000 policemen are set to be deployed at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City for next week’s meetings, a PNP official said on Thursday.
Sr. Supt. Joel Doria, Pasay Chief of Police said 478 PNP personnel under Task Force MoA will provide security for the welcome dinner of some 1,000 delegates including the heads of states on Nov. 18 at the MoA Arena.
He said the 478 police personnel will be deployed near MOA starting Friday.
On Nov. 18, an additional 466 PNP personnel from the different district offices of the NCRPO will be deployed in all entry points of MoA .
He noted that the city government of Pasay has not issued any permit for rallies, and a “no permit, no rally” rule will be strictly implemented.
PNP-Highway Patrol Group Spokesperson Supt. Grace Tamayo said that 842 highway patrol police will be deployed to secure the convoy of the leaders and delegates of the 21 member-economies participating in the Apec Leaders’ Meeting.
Tamayo said that 300 men will augment the Presidential Security Group in guarding the heads of state, while 282 HPG personnel will join forces with the Police Security Protection Group for the security of ministers and other foreign delegates and around 227 will be deployed in Edsa, where there will be special lanes for the Apec delegates.
She noted that the primary duty of the HPG during the Apec week is the route and convoy security along Edsa and in Roxas Boulevard.
Each leader will have an escort of four motorcycles and two mobile patrol cars from HPG, apart from the security vehicles from other agencies.
Manila Bay will be patrolled by the BRP Ramon Alcaraz, a Hamilton-class cutter that will implement a no-sail policy.
Paynor said as part of the tight security measures, windows in buildings along Roxas Boulevard must be closed, describing this as “basic security practice worldwide.”
He added that road closures in parts of Metro Manila will speed up the shuttling of Apec leaders and delegates to the summit and related meetings.
“There is no doubt that many of us will be inconvenienced but it is part of the hosting,” Paynor said.
Local governments have also designated certain areas for protest actions, he added.
Presidents Barack Obama of the United States, Xi Jinping of China and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are among the heads of state coming to the Philippines for the Apec Summit.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines earlier issued notices to airmen setting restrictions on aircraft operating at the Naia effective Nov. 17 at 6 a.m. and lasting until Nov. 20, 7 p.m.
These include a bar on general aviation within 40 nautical miles of Naia covering the PICC.
There will also be a no-fly zone within two nautical miles from the PICC from Nov. 17 to Nov. 20.