500 cops guard F4 concert at Fort

Five hundred policemen were deployed yesterday by the Southern Police District (SPD) to secure the area at the Fort Bonifacio open field in Taguig where ABS-CBN’s "Happy 50 TV" concert was held.

Police Senior Superintendent Prudencio Regis Jr., SPD deputy district director for administration, said security preparations began weeks before the event. And even the Aviation Security Group (ASG) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) were called in to beef up the in-house security of ABS-CBN.

The ASG, he said, provided the bomb-sniffing dogs while the PDEA sent its drug-sniffing canines to detect the presence of illegal drug substances among the crowd.

"We would not tolerate the presence of any illegal drugs or liquor before and during the concert to prevent the crowd from becoming wild," said Regis.

Police and security guards joined hands in the orderly entry of ticket holders from the entrance gates to their seats, There also was enough parking space around the vicinity.

Having learned from the lessons of securing concerts of international singers like Mariah Carey and Mandy Moore, police set up a barricade near the stage to prevent the crowd from moving closer to the stage or transferring to other seats.

"They have also tied the chairs together to prevent people from carrying their seats around that could disrupt the show. This is also to avoid the crowd from throwing their chairs," added the police official.

As expected, the performance of "Meteor Garden" stars Jerry Yan and Vic Zhou of the Taiwanese boy band F4 and Barbie Xu highlighted yesterday’s event.

ABS-CBN talents Ai-Ai de las Alas, Vina Morales and the Hunks also topbilled the event. Other stars who graced the concert were Bayani Agbayani, Francis M., Andrew E., Kristine Hermosa, John Lloyd Cruz, Bea Alonzo, John Prats, Heart Evangelista, Michael Josh Santana, Divo, King and Claudine Barretto.

Regis said the organizers were able to sell all 40,000 tickets, with prices ranging from P500 to P5,000.

Kibitzers have neen spotted around the venue as early as Friday night, watching the performers practice their acts, he added.