Wednesday, January 10, 2007 Army assures safe Asean summit
THE military assures a safe and secure Asean Summit despite rumors and warnings of a terrorist threat by other countries.
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff General Hermogemes Esperon Jr. said they have deployed 5,000 military personnel on top of the 7,000-strong police personnel in Cebu and other neighboring provinces.
"This is the source of our confidence. We have prepared a lot," Esperon said.
He said the security forces are not just deployed in Cebu but also in places where delegates are expected to visit like Bohol and Boracay.
Esperon said that since last month they have put in place a security plan that could not be easily penetrated by terrorists. This aside from their ongoing military operation in areas known to be sources of terrorists like Jolo.
"We have been putting pressure on these terrorist sources so they have difficulty staging a terror attack on Asean," he said.
Esperon however did not discount the possibility that plans to disrupt the Asean summit are being hatched. But he said the police and military are ready for any eventuality. (BOT)
