PPOC hails all-Bohol

ASEAN security force

TAGBILARAN CITY, November 3, 2017 (PIA)--The Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) commends the security force behind the zero meetings-related incidents in the latest meeting of representatives and senior officials of the ten-nation block in Asia for coming out successful and surpassing expectations. 

PPOC Chairman and Governor Edgar Chatto told that members of the peace council of the feat, as it was the first time that the security operations was handled by local group commanders. 

During the formal launching of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2017 in Davao, the governor said he was briefed of only one high-end meeting of the ASEAN in Bohol. 

That meeting in April would always be remembered as a fateful incident in Bohol and in the country. 

A group of armed men members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) from Mindanao landed in Napo Inabanga, who were perceived as a threat to the international meeting in Panglao. 

"Unfortunately we were able to threatened by the ASG, fortunately we were able to thwart the threat that could have scared the international delegates and could have lost the confidence of the national organizing committee," the governor pointed out. 

The succeeding meetings, Chatto mused, could have been triggered by the mature way the Boholanos handled the crisis. 

Already hosting the third ASEAN related meetings, Bohol has since used the help of the regional officials in directing the ASEAN-related preparations and tasks in Bohol, except the last meeting of the Technical Working Group on ASEAN Taxation Initiatives. 

In the first meeting and second ASEAN meetings on Trade and Maritime Security Technical Working Groups, the Regional Police Office through then Regional Director Noli Taliño and now Regional Director Jose Mario Espino have always taken the lead in orchestrating the peace and order and security task group. 

In the same light, the Office of the Civil Defense has handled the emergency preparedness and response task groups. 

The previous meetings had the regional office sending support security and emergency preparedness and response groups to complement the local forces in securing the venue and the sites to be visited by the delegates. 

In the last meeting on the Technical Working Group for Taxation Initiatives however, organizers laid the security and peace and order responsibilities on the local task group commanders: Bohol Police Provincial Director and Colonel Felipe Natividad and General Arnulfo Matanguihan. 

The governor also broke another inspiring news: Bohol would be hosting one more ASEAN event before the Clark Senior Officials Meeting in November. 

The meeting, for senior foreign affairs officials would be held in Bohol anytime, the governor said. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

Local ASEAN Security Task Group comprised of the Philippine National police under PSSupt Felipe Natividad and BGen. Arnulfo Matanguihan bask in the limelight for successfully making the third ASEAN meeting here pass without any related incident. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)