The ASEAN Security Task Force (ASTF) security coverage for the 15th Meeting of the ASEAN Senior Officials Responsible for Information (SOMRI) in Bacolod is now in full swing. The Senior Officials meeting (SOM) is scheduled to be held at SMX Bacolod City from March 21-24, 2017. Yesterday, SILG Secretary Mike SUENO attended the opening ceremony at around 9am together with Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia.
Members of the 21 government agencies composing the Committee on Security, Peace and Order, and Emergency Preparedness and Response (CSPOEPR) has been tirelessly working in synergy with the local government of Bacolod City to ensure security of delegates and achieve ‘Zero Incident’. The ASEAN Security Task Force (ASTF) through its Commander, PDIR Napoleon Tass oversees the overall execution of the security preparations. The ASTF deployed a total of 4,692 personnel for the 5 day event composed of personnel from all the member agencies.
PDIR Napoleon Taas reportedly was the personal choice of PDG Ronals dela Rosa to lead the year long security operations for ASEAN 2017. Taas, a member of PMA Maharlika Class of 1984 and currently the PNP’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), once served as the PSG Security Officer to US President Bill Clinton when the latter visited the country in 1995. It was at this time when Taas participated in an intelligence operation which led to the arrest of Al Qaida terrorist Ramsey Youssef. It will be recalled that Youssef was involved in the failed attempt to bomb the World Trade Center in NYC in 1993. Most recently, Taas was Joint Task Group Security Commander when the country successfully hosted APEC 2015.
The country’s ASEAN 2017 hosting commenced last December 2016 and was officially launched by President Rodrigo Duterte in Davao City just last January 15, 2017.
The ASTF Head Secretariat, PCS Nestor Bergonia, said that our ASEAN hosting is at least 3 times more challenging than APEC 2015. Bergonia said that in 2015, there were only 36 APEC related meetings and Heads of Economies only visited the country once (November 2015). For ASEAN, we have just completed 33 of the 128 ASEAN related meetings which include 2 visits of the Heads of States (April and November 2017). The ASEAN hosting would also have meetings in as far north as Laoag and Davao in the south. Bergonia added that this is the only time that while securing the delegates simultaneously in 2 provinces, we are already preparing for the next in another location. This was the case this month while the ASEAN meetings were happening in Iloilo and NCR, we are also conducting tabletop security exercises in Bacolod.
The bigger challenge really is when the HOS start arriving from April 26-29 because of the highest level of security that they have to be afforded with. Taas said that since the meetings will be in NCR once again, they would have to strike a balance between security protocols and the public inconvenience that comes with it. He added that their security coverage and preparations would strictly abide by the directive of Duterte, to insure that public inconvenience is held as much as possible in its barest minimum. Taas declined to provide any further details as regards the 30th Summit preparations since according to him, their security plans to include the traffic plan and hotel assignments have to be approved first by the Chairman of ASEAN NOC (EXEC SEC) before they become official. However, some sources say that in all likelihood the areas that would be most likely affected would be portions of Arnaiz in Makati, the MOA and CCP complex areas. Specifically, rerouting may be implemented along Sen. W. Diokno Blvd, Jalandoni, V. Sotto, Bukaneg and A. Dela Rama in Pasay City while occasional traffic disruption will be experienced along Pasay Road and Makati Avenue.
In the ASEAN SOMRI currently being held in Bacolod, the entire PRO NIR is under the supervision of PCSUPT Renato Gumban, the Task Group Site “Bacolod” commander elevates the alert status of the police units in PRO18 to full alert since March 16, 2017 and complementary police force were augmented from the neighboring province of Iloilo. Aside from the police personnel, teams from other agencies are deployed to strategic areas to facilitate speedy response in case of emergency. Yesterday, some 300 demonstrators from BAYAN attempted to disrupt the meetings inside SMX but only managed to get as close as the San Sebastian Church along San Juan-Rizal St., PSSUPT Petronelli Baldebrin, the Deputy Regional Director for Operation, orchestrated and supervised the civil disturbance management operation which resulted to a peaceful conduct of rally, which simply proves that rallyist are no match to the employed security operation. Taas, added we had CDM forces from Iloilo ferried to Bacolod by a Philippine Navy vessel, we have City Mayor Evelio Leonardia providing logistical support, NICA providing timely intelligence, and the DOH providing medical assistance and even mineral water to the rallyists. What we witnessed here in the City of Smiles is a “whole of government” cooperation working like never before. Today is the last day of activities here in Bacolod, tomorrow our ASEAN guests would depart to their respective countries. If only their eyes could speak, they are probably unanimous in saying that they will never ever forget Bacolod and the beautiful people of the Philippines, Taas finally said. (End)