Security concerns hang over Apec

PROVIDING security for the leaders of Asia-Pacific nations, including the United States, China and Japan, is a huge undertaking for any country. But for the Philippines, host of this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, the challenges are even bigger and are under renewed scrutiny following the terror attacks in Paris last week that killed at least 129 people.

The Apec gathering on Wednesday and Thursday comes on the heels of a G20 summit in Turkey, which was dominated by discussions about the violence emanating from Syria’s 4-and-a-half-year-old civil war.

The Philippines was on high alert as about 20 Apec leaders arrived. The government says no stone will be left unturned to ensure the safety of the 7,000 officials and other participants during the Apec meetings, which wrap up on Friday.

Parts of Metro Manila with a population of 12 million have been brought to a standstill this week to ensure security for the leaders, with key roads closed, barricades erected and a very visible presence of security forces.

Authorities, which had already deployed more than 30,000 military, police and civilian personnel for the largest security operation in years to secure the summit, said security had been ratcheted up even higher because of the Paris attacks.

The Philippine Air Force has placed 13 aircraft on standby, most of them helicopters, while the Philippine Navy has two former US coast guard cutters and a dozen smaller watercraft in Manila Bay.

The USS Fitzgerald, a US navy destroyer, will also be stationed in Manila Bay for the duration of Obama’s visit.

The extensive preparations reflect a variety of perceived threats but are also meant to address concerns that the Philippines might not be up to the task. Its military is one of the most poorly funded in Asia.

The security preparations for the Apec summit were so strict it exceeded those for the visit of Pope Francis in January.

A security official noted that the Apec security arrangements was four times more intense than the five-day papal visit in January.

“It’s very strict. The security. It’s beyond the papal visit, it’s different. And it’s good,” said Brig. Gen. Carlito Galvez, the deputy chief for operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

On Monday night, the military inspected over 1,500 of its standby troops as part of their preparations for the Apec.

The military and the Philippine National Police have raised their alert level to the highest last weekend following the terror attacks in Paris.

“What we saw in Paris, we saw that it can potentially happen here. So what we did was preemption, the preparation of the Security Task Force Apec was good,” he said.

Asked on a supposed video of Islamic State-linked militants from the Philippines threatening to disrupt the Apec, Galvez said the video was still being assessed by their experts.

“I believe this is an Isis-inspired video, they are not really members, but riding only on the Isis flag,” he said. Reports the wires and Julie M. Aurelio