PHILIPPINES ASSURES SECURITY OF APEC DELEGATES

Manila, 30 Muharram 1437/12 November 2015 (MINA) – The Philippine government assured Wednesday the security of all the participants in the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, citing there is no “specific threat” that could impact the country’s hosting of the regional event.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ricardo Marquez, also the head of the APEC Security Task Force, said they are confident of their security plans for the Nov. 18 – 19 meeting that will gather some 21 leaders and heads of states.

“There is no specific threat for us hosting, holding the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting next week. We are very, very confident already that we have put up a very good security plan,” he told reporters.

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So far, the PNP group has successfully handled 36 APEC events, he added.

Marquez noted that in these events, they brought the “best people” and gathered the “best practices”.

Marquez said 70 percent of the security team deployed for the APEC are PNP personnel, but credited the Metro Manila Development Authority for the traffic scheme, the Philippine Coast Guard for maritime security, and the Philippine Air Force for air traffic and security.

Apec’s members include the USA, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Canada, and together account for 57% of global production and 46.5% of world trade. This comes amidst rising tensions between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea dispute, Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) quoted Xinhua as reporting.

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APEC 2015 National Organizing Council Director General Marciano Paynor Jr. said the Philippines is expecting the other 20 leaders of APEC economies to attend the summit on November 18-19 in Manila. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)