Police urged to provide maximum security

THE French prime minister will visit Cebu today to witness a presentation on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

Prime Minister Jean Marc Ayrault will arrive at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport at 10 a.m.

Gov. Gwen Garcia, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza and other officials will meet Ayrault at the airport.

“Let us make sure that we secure (Prime Minister Ayrault) and his entourage,” Radaza said during the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) 7 meeting in Lapu-Lapu City last Friday.

Possible funder
The French government has expressed interest to fund the BRT project through its development cooperation arm, the Agence Francaise de Developpement.

It is the first visit in the Philippines by a French prime minister since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1947.

Ayrault, who arrived in the country last Friday, is accompanied by a 130-member delegation composed of ministers, parliamentarians and businessmen.

He first met with President Benigno Aquino III. They discussed ways to enhance the two countries’ political, economic and cultural ties.

Ayrault will drop by the Liberty Shrine at 1:30 p.m. before heading back to the airport at 2 p.m. for his departure to France.

During the RPOC 7 meeting, Radaza also called on the council to help maintain peace and order in Lapu-Lapu.

“Maintaining peace and order is vital to our local economy that largely depends on the tourism industry,” she said.

The meeting was attended by Bohol Gov. Edgardo Chatto, the council’s chair; Police Regional Office 7 Deputy Director for Operations Supt. Louie Oppus; and Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency 7 Director Jigger Montallana.

“As mayor of a highly-urbanized city that is largely dependent on tourism, I give so much importance on peace and order,” Radaza said.