In Catbalogan City, PRO-8 put on full alert for ASPAC conference

CATBALOGAN CITY, Philippines — The Police Regional Office-8 is now on full alert to secure the United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific (UCLG) Asia Pacific (ASPAC) Conference that Catbalogan City in Samar is hosting from April 5 to 7.

Mayor Stephany Uy Tan, for her part, said the Catbalogan City government is now ready and prepared for hosting its first international event that will be attended by at least 300 local and international participants from the Asia-Pacific region.

Uy-Tan said delegates to the event are local government officials from the countries of South Korea, China, Zealand, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, New Zealand, Kiribati, Betio, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Maldives.

Expected to attend also are Philippine senators and Cabinet officials, national and regional government officials and the governors and city mayors of Eastern Visayas, said the mayor of Catbalogan, the only city-member from Eastern Visayas in the UCLG-ASPAC since 2015.

It was learned that the Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno sent memorandum circulars inviting all mayors of Eastern Visayas, 50 members of League of Cities, and 50 female mayors to attend the international conference.

PRO-8 Director, Chief Superintendent Elmer Beltejar, said the regional police have stepped up security measures in all seaports, airports and bus terminals around Eastern Visayas and there has been no specific or direct threat monitored so far. Beltejar said that, in every venue where the international conference will be held, police personnel will be deployed with tighter security efforts.

The Leyte Police Provincial Office, with office based beside the Tacloban City Airport, has been tasked to secure foreign delegates upon arrival and in their travel from Tacloban to Catbalogan for the international gathering.

LPPO Director Senior Supt. Franco Simborio said he already dispatched the augmentation force from Leyte province. "Of course we augmented 10 patrol cars together with PNP personnel that provide the visitor's security and convoy from Tacloban DZR airport to Catbalogan," he said.

On early Sunday morning, Simborio dispatched at least 20 motorcycles with drivers, while troops are currently on standby at the airport as they are waiting for the arrival of other foreign delegates who will participate in the UCLG-ASPAC conference.

UCLG-Aspac is the regional section of the UCLG, a worldwide association of local government organizations that dated back to 1913. It is also the only local government organization recognized by the United Nations and nominates 10 out of 20 members of first advisory body of local authorities affiliated with the UN.

Mayor Tan said Catbalogan City, with a population of about 103,000, is now ready for this opportunity to host UCLG-ASPAC conference, and to show its tourism destinations and investment potentials.

“We want to show to the international community that a small city from a province in Eastern Visayas can be a host to big events like this. Through this, we can establish ties with foreign and national officials for future international and national gathering relative to development partnership,” Tan said.

The conference seeks to gather important sectors of society and solicit their commitments through declarations, workable actions, policy proposals, and projects to support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This also aims to solicit commitment of LGUs and cities for the full implementation of the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction in local levels, as adopted by the Third United Nations Conference in Sendai, Japan on March 18, 2015.

Another expected outcome is the higher level of awareness among local government officials on issues related to SDGs, urban agenda, financing and local economic development.

Tan added that she will present, during the event, the partnership of Catbalogan City with South Korea’s Odin Energy Company Ltd. on the US$2.4-million wind tower that will be established in this city to supply 90 percent of its power needs. (FREEMAN)