Pope Francis AP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines - The upcoming visit of Pope Francis to the country is a “big challenge” for the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II said on Wednesday.
As the population of the Philippines hit 100 million this year, Roxas, in a meeting with TV network managers, admitted that it would be difficult for the DILG and the PNP to secure the much-loved pontiff when he graces the Philippines in January 2015.
In 1995 when the late Pope Saint John Paul II visited the Philippines, the country’s population was at 68 million. During his visit, threat groups attempted to ambush the newly-canonized Pope.
Authorities discovered Oplan Bojinka, an Islamist plot to kill Pope John Paul II during his visit to the Manila World Youth Day celebration on January 15, 1995. But the slay attempt was foiled.
As the population rises by more than 50-percent in 19 years, the PNP forces remain at 150,000, which is way below the ideal number of police forces.
The current police to population ratio is 1:750. The international standard is 1:500 ratio.
Despite the challenges, the DILG secretary assured that the PNP, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) will immediately iron out the security preparations for Pope Francis.
Unconfirmed reports of terror threats against Pope Francis had surfaced, claiming that an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) attack is being plotted against him.
This was, however, denied by both the PNP and AFP, even urging the public not to believe in rumors that only cause false alarms.
Roxas also encouraged the public to cooperate with the authorities and law enforcement agencies by being watchful of potential threats.
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