Tight security readied for Digong’s Feb 12 visit

SECURITY is expected to be tight in Cebu City for the scheduled visit of President Duterte on Monday, February 12.

Supt. Reyman Tolentin, information officer of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), said they are mapping out the security measures that will be implemented during the President’s visit to the Queen City of the South.

“There will be a series of security meetings this week in preparation for the President’s visit,” he told reporters on Monday.

Tolentin said they are closely coordinating with the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Central Command (AFP-Centcom) in preparing the security plans.

“Since it involves the President, everybody will be involved here,” he said.

Part of the preparations, Tolentin said, is how to control possible protesters.

“We consider everything, including rallies, or other scenarios that may cause trouble. We will do our best to avoid any trouble,” he said.

President Duterte will lead the unveiling of the marker for the Malasakit Center to be set up at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City on Monday.

After the unveiling, Duterte will meet with officials of the military and police in a joint command conference that will be followed by the inauguration of vehicles for the Police Regional Office (PRO-7).

Duterte is also expected to meet with mayors from the Visayas and Mindanao in a gathering organized by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

In a statement, the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) said the Malasakit Center is expected to serve as a one-stop shop for the processing of requests for financial assistance by indigent patients.

The VSMMC will serve as the pilot hospital and the project will soon be replicated in other public hospitals in the Visayas.

Cebuano designer Kenneth Cobonpue designed the Malasakit Center’s marker.