Security intensified for upcoming APEC Leaders’ Summit—Paynor

From the Philippine Information Agency (Nov 13): Security intensified for upcoming APEC Leaders’ Summit—Paynor

Security preparations for the 21 heads of state who will arrive in Manila for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit next week have been further strengthened, APEC 2015 National Organizing Council Director General Marciano Paynor Jr. said on Thursday.

“Because of the very high profile nature of our guests and of course, the nature of the world security today, we have to be ready and we have to be prepared,” Ambassador Paynor said during a media briefing at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

Among the leaders who are expected to attend the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting on November 18 to19 are US President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Paynor said security arrangements for the leaders have been planned by the Presidential Security Group (PSG) in coordination with the security teams of the foreign leaders.

He said possible threats against the leaders are considered in every place they go, thus, these should be addressed accordingly.

“We tweaked the security arrangements depending on the threat assessment … depending on the leaders who are coming,” he said.

Paynor said police personnel in the National Capital Region have been stretched and even complemented by those from other regions.

He said the stringent security preparations are usually done during APEC events. He also assured the public that cell sites of telecommunication companies will not be blocked next week.

Preparations for the final APEC meetings, which starts today through the Concluding Senior Officials Meeting, are 95 percent to 97 percent ready but they are still scrutinizing minute details to ensure the success of the biggest international event to be hosted by the country since 1996.

“The President (Benigno S. Aquino III) is on top of everything and he has given us the directive that our hosting must be a success from all points,” Paynor said. “This is really a production of sorts where you have 21 different leaders who have a common agenda, common schedule, but they have also their own. We have to ensure that each economy’s agenda will be followed hassle-free, and that they come out of here feeling satisfied that they have done their work, that their objectives were met. And at that point, we can say that we have had a successful hosting of APEC 2015."

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/3001447321094/security-intensified-for-upcoming-apec-leaders-summit-paynor-