Cops 'ready' for ASEAN meetings

Police Regional Office (PRO)-7 Director Jose Mario Espino said security plans for the ASEAN Maritime Transport Working Group Meetings on September 19 to 21 they would be ready for the important event, which is just eight days away.

“We are on the preparatory stage but before September 17 we are required na 100 percent na yung personnel natin,” he said.

The Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) has likewise assured it has upgraded its intelligence and monitoring capabilities in preparation for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ 34th Maritime Transport Working Group Meetings on September 19 to 21.

Senior Superintendent Felipe Natividad, BPPO director, said plans are being perfected to ensure that delegates are safe and lawless elements will not take advantage of the presence of dignitaries.

Natividad assured that at least 3,000 personnel were committed for deployment for the duration of the meetings.

Natividad, though, emphasized that despite the preparations they made, it is still very important for the community to be mindful of their immediate environment and to report suspicious-looking personalities.

He said that one important factor that the Abu Sayyaf Group members were wiped out when they came to Bohol last April was the evident support of the community and effective dissemination of information.

“We need the cooperation ng community. Sila mismo yung taong on the ground na maaasahan natin na ‘pag may nakita silang mga bago, unusual faces, unusual activity, they have to report it right away,” Natividad said.

L. Avila / RHM