600 APEC cops have nowhere to stay

CEBU, Philippines - The Mandaue City Police Office is still trying to figure out how to accommodate the 600 cops who will serve as augmentation force during Cebu’s hosting of the upcoming APEC ministerial meetings.

MCPO director Mariano Natu-el, in a press conference yesterday, said the augmentation force will be arriving in Cebu a week before the meetings start on August 22. These cops will be deployed to beef up security in the APEC routes.

He said he has already sought the help of some private establishments in the city, but most did not commit saying the duration of their stay is quite too long.

Natu-el said they will be exploring a suggestion calling households to “adopt” a policeman.

Meanwhile, aside from serving for route security, these policemen will also be used as escorts to officials and their families who wish to visit some of Cebu’s tourist sites.

According to Natu-el, MCPO alone needs 1,200 cops for the upcoming meetings. He said only 40 percent of the 400 policemen of MCPO will be used during the meetings because others will remain in their respective assignments.

He also said MCPO should no longer take the burden of feeding these augmentation cops as the APEC Organizing Committee is shouldering their food allowances.

The city government, he added, will also provide food for their force multipliers.