Over 1,000 cops to secure President Duterte in Cebu
President Rodrigo Duterte will be in Cebu today to attend four activities, including a meeting with local officials from the Visayas and Mindanao.
Duterte will serve as main guest of the launching of the Malasakit Center at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City at 2 p.m. He will be joined by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino and VSMMC medical chief Dr. Gerardo Aquino.
At 3 p.m., the President will proceed to the Police Regional Office 7 for the turnover of 20 new patrol vehicles from Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda. The President will also be present for a joint command conference between officials of the PRO 7 and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at Camp Sergio Osmeña in downtown Cebu City.
Duterte will also visit the Radisson Blu Hotel for a meeting with local officials.
The Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 is ready for the visit. Yesterday, PRO 7 Director Robert Quenery spearheaded the send-off ceremony for the 1,100 police officers deployed to guard the president.
Supt. Reyman Tolentin, spokesperson of the PRO 7, said they will make sure that the President is safe. “We conducted an actual, on-the-ground dry run to test if our personnel are ready. We have already deployed our personnel until our President leaves the area,” Tolentin said.
Other agencies like the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Central Command (AFP-Centcom), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) 7, and the Department of Health (DOH) 7 were also tapped in securing Duterte. The AFP will handle six K-9 units with an explosive and ordnance disposal (EOD) team and one Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) company. Tolentin said that Quenery reiterated to his officers during the send-off to focus on keeping the President safe. “The regional director said that the personnel should be focused, aligned, and committed. If they are assigned in route security, they have to do their job. Don’t meddle with the others,” he said.