AFP file photo, Gen. Bautista in inset.
President Aquino designated former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff retired Gen. Emmanuel Bautista as the pointman for security preparations for the visit of Pope Francis from Jan. 15 to 19.
Aquino made the decision during his meeting with members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and other stakeholders involved in the preparations for the papal visit at the Palace on Thursday.
"Relevant antecedents (of similar crowd surge) were reviewed, including past papal visits, the stampede in Ultra, and last year's Black Nazarene procession," Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma said in a briefing aired over state-run Radyo ng Bayan.
"Improvement is always desirable - before, during and even after the event... The room for improvement is the biggest room in the world. We hope it will be totally seamless and successful and there will be a post-event assessment," Coloma said.
Bautista is currently an undersecretary in the Office of the President designated as executive director of the security, justice and peace cluster of the Cabinet.
Among those who attended the meeting were CBCP president Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, AFP chief of staff Gen. Gregorio Catapang, Philippine National Police office in charge deputy director Leonardo Espina, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Public Works chief Rogelio Singson, Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras, MMDA head Francis Tolentino, National Security Adviser Cesar Garcia, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda, and Coloma, among others.
"The Palace is one with the CBCP in calling for cooperation from the public. We call on those who will be attending the events related to the papal visit to be calm and follow protocol to ensure the safety of the Pope and the public," Coloma said.
For the mass in Luneta on Jan. 18, Coloma reminded the public not to bring backpacks and use instead transparent or clear containers.
The faithful are also advised not to bring umbrellas and instead prepare raincoats, hats, and hand fans.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/102617/bautista-designated-security-pointman-for-papal-visit
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