1,000 Philippine soldiers to secure ASEAN Summit

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will deploy 1,000 soldiers to provide additional security for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Cebu City this December, the military said on Thursday.

Two battalions with bomb disposal units and explosives detection canine (K9) teams will be deployed to Cebu City on Saturday to beef up security measures for the ASEAN Summit, said Jefferson Omandam, spokesman of AFP Central Command.

Omandam said the troops will be deployed to strategic points in Cebu province to prevent the entry of terrorist and criminal groups.

Earlier reports said some 1,400 policemen from Mindanao and Visayas have already been deployed to Cebu to secure the venue and thwart possible terrorist plots.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the military's engineering brigade has been tapped to help in the construction of the Cebu International Convention Center where the summit will be held. She said the government is determined to finish construction by Nov. 15.

The Philippines is this year's host of the 12th ASEAN Summit to be held in Cebu this coming December.

Source: Xinhua