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Bacolod security personnel, private firm employees train on bomb awareness for ASEAN meeting

BACOLOD CITY, March 3 (PNA) -- Two clusters of trainees attended a Seminar on Bomb Awareness as part of the preparations of this city for the hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit meeting this month.

After the seminar, Senior Superintendent Hector Maestral, chief of Regional Intelligence Division of Police Regional Office-18, said in a report Friday the seminar focused on the standard operating procedures (SOPs) establishments should employ in case of untoward incidents like bomb threats or bomb explosions.

Participants included personnel of Public Order and Safety Office (POSO), and utility personnel of the City Hall and representatives from private establishments like hotels that will host the ASEAN delegates.

Maestral, who was the resource speaker, discussed “Explosives, IED Awareness and Bomb Threat Management.”

The seminar is an important requirement for the hosting of the ASEAN meeting, he said.

"We also need the seminar due to the alarming cases of bomb threats in Bacolod that turned out to be hoaxes," Maestral added.

Bacolod is scheduled to host the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), Joint Consultative Meeting, and Other Related Meetings, or the 15th Senior Officials Responsible for Information (SOMRI).

On Wednesday, Mayor Evelio Leonardia also convened the City Peace and Order Council (CPOC) to discuss the traffic, and peace and order situation in preparation for the hosting of the ASEAN Summit meeting.

Leonardia, chairman of the CPOC, said no untoward incident should happen during the event.

Rodolfo Song, spokesperson of the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office, said concerns on the loading and unloading areas were already addressed.

Superintendent Noel Polines, deputy chief for operations of Bacolod City Police Office, in his presentation, discussed the police’s accomplishments on Oplan Bakbak (Bacolod Batok sa Krimen).

Chief Superintendent Renato Gumban, acting director of Police Regional Office (PRO)-18, who heads Task Group Bacolod, said that plans are being refined, including the conduct of simulation exercises on the second week of March, with the members of the National Organizing Committee (NOC).

Task Group Bacolod, formed to lead the preparations for the hosting of the 2017 ASEAN Summit meetings, is composed of 21 national government agencies, including, among others, the Philippine National Police, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Tourism, Department of Health, and Bureau of Fire Protection. (PNA)

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