MANILA – The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) has deployed more than 1,000 cops and activated a task group to secure delegates to the Philippine Smart City Summit slated Oct. 17-19.
QCPD Director, Chief Superintendent Joselito T Esquivel Jr., said the task group shall ensure the security including traffic direction and control during the 3-day summit.
Around 1,121 uniformed and plain clothes policemen will be deployed in famous landmarks in the city that will be visited by the delegates and areas where they are billeted.
Esquivel Jr. is the over-all commander of Task Group Smart and shall be assisted by three Sub Task Groups (STG) composed of “STG Alpha” under Senior Supt. Ronaldo Genaro E Ylagan, “STG Bravo” headed by Senior Supt. Arthur V Bisnar, and “STG Charlie” headed by Senior Supt. Sidney N Villaflor.
Esquivel asked the public for understanding due to the traffic congestion that may be caused by the activities related to the summit.
“Humihingi po kami ng pag-unawa lalo na sa mga motorista na maapektuhan o maaabala. Hinihikayat din po namin ang publiko na kung maaari ay iwasan ang mga lugar na pagdarausan ng summit (We are asking for understanding, especially for motorists who may be affected by the various activities during the summit. We also encourage the public to avoid places where the summit will be held),” he said in a statement Wednesday.
The Smart City Summit will gather government executives from Russia, South Korea, Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Turkey and several other countries, stakeholders in public administration to discuss and share smart city concepts, theories and best practices that will advance digital capacity and social innovation.
During the summit, delegates are also expected to form a Smart City Urban Agenda.
Quezon City was chosen to host this year’s summit for its exemplary performance in governance, competitiveness, infrastructure development and economic dynamism.
The Philippine National Competitiveness Council has bestowed on Quezon City the distinction of being the most competitive highly-urbanized city in the country for three straight years.
The World Bank has cited the city’ transformation from a debt-ridden, disintegrating urban center into the richest and most dynamic highly-urbanized city in the Philippines.
Since 2010, Quezon City has been recognized worldwide for its best practice in local government administration and for promoting the use of information and communications technology as a tool for governance. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
