Taliño: Traffic is security nightmare for the police
“SO far, so good.”
This was how Police Regional Director Chief Supt. Noli Taliño described the first three days of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit meetings in Cebu.
Since Monday, he said they have not received any report about untoward incidents in relation to the Asean meetings in Cebu.
“Not one delegate or participant complained about being victimized by any crime,” Taliño said.
Traffic congestion, however, affected several streets which were part of the route of the Asean delegates due to the heavy downpour last Monday.
Taliño said traffic congestion exposes the Asean delegates and participants to security risks because it slows down the vehicles that ferry them.
“Traffic congestion is really a security nightmare for the police. But nevertheless, we were able to address it as the meetings continued,” he said.
Taliño said raincoats were distributed to about 3,000 policemen deployed in different areas in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu to secure
the delegates and other participants of the Asean meetings.
“It’s been raining in the past days. I don’t want our personnel to get sick, so we gave raincoats to our policemen especially those on the streets,” he said.
Taliño said areas near the venues of the Asean meetings have also been declared no-sail, no-fly zones until Friday to ensure the safety of the delegates and the participants.
At least 30 members of militant group Bayan Muna staged a protest rally in front of a posh hotel at the North Reclamation Area, which was one the venues of the Asean Summit meetings in Cebu City past 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
The group opposed any moves for the Philippines to join hands with “imperialist nations” like the United States and China.
Although the group did not have a permit to hold a rally, Senior Supt. Joel Doria, director of the Cebu City Police Office, allowed the militant group to finish their 15-minute program.
Afterwards, the group voluntarily left the place.
“We anticipate rallies as the Asean meetings in Cebu continue. We just have to exercise maximum tolerance,” Taliño said.
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