TAGBILARAN CITY — All is set for Bohol’s hosting of the 3rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting from October 23 to 25 in the island town of Panglao.
Acting provincial administrator John Mitchel Boiser on Saturday said all are in place for the security and to welcome the 80 delegates who will tackle the ASEAN’s financial issues during the meeting.
This will be the third ASEAN meeting to be held in Bohol. The first one was in April when trade ministry representatives met at a resort also in Panglao.
The second convention was held last September for transport representatives from ASEAN member nations.
Provincial Police Community Relations head Supt. George Vale said on Friday the security forces for the meeting will mostly come from Bohol.
During the previous meetings, the security personnel were composed mostly of elements from other places such as Cebu.
The sheer number of security personnel that secured the previous two meetings was criticized as an overkill.
Vale said this time the security forces will be coming from various units here in Bohol similar to the set-up of the security during last August’s Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD).
About 34 countries from Asia attended the ACD meetings in Panglao, spearheaded by the Department of Energy.
No untoward incident was reported during the four-day ACD event.
Vale hopes that with the forces from Bohol at the helm, there will be no untoward incidents during the third ASEAN meeting in Bohol.
Rescue units from Tagbilaran City, Bohol Provincial Government, and Municipality of Panglao, meanwhile, conducted a simulation exercise Saturdayto prepare for any untoward eventuality that may happen during the meeting. (Dave Albarado/PNA)
