SOME 40,000 policemen and soldiers will provide security during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit this week.
“What you see here now is just a portion of the total 40,000 that we will deploy for the 30th Asean Summit from Friday to Sunday,” acting Interior and Local Government Secretary Catalino Cuy said in Filipino, during the send-off ceremony for the security team Sunday.
A spokesman for the Metro Manila police office, Chief Insp. Kimberly Molitas, said some 9,000 security personnel were present during the ceremony.
Also at the ceremony were Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa, Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., director-general for operations of the Asean 2017 National Organizing Council, and other top security officials.
Paynor reminded the security personnel that the public should feel their presence even if the bulk of them would be virtually invisible.
“That gives a feeling of confidence to everyone that we know what we are doing,” Paynor said.
He said the security team must also use the summit next week to prepare for the summit in November where 22 heads of states will attend.
“Let us outpace ourselves. Let us sustain the effort that we have done. Every single meeting that we protect and secure, we up the ante, always improve the standard that we have set up,” Paynor said.
Asean leaders and hundreds of delegates are expected to attend the summit at the Philippine International Convention Center from April 26 to 29.
Paynor said at least 2,000 delegates are expected to arrive for the summit this week.
Nine Asean leaders have also confirmed their attendance, he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte will chair this year’s 30th Asean Summit on April 29 involving the heads of state or government of 10 Asean member states, namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Preparatory meetings, involving Asean ministers and senior officials, will take place from April 26 to 28.
The 30th Asean Summit is the first of two leader-level meetings that the Philippines will convene this year as chairman of Asean. The second one, the 31st Asean Summit and Related Summits, will be held in November and will be joined by the Asean’s dialogue partners, such as Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.
Before the actual leaders’ meeting on April 29, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Indonesian President Widodo will hold state visits on April 27 and April 28, respectively.
“Preparations are now in full swing for all activities scheduled [this] week in Manila,” said Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella in a statement on Sunday.
“The President looks forward to meeting His Majesty the Sultan and President Widodo, respectively, to build on the gains achieved during President Duterte’s visits to Bandar Seri Begawan and Jakarta,” Abella added.