PNP: May 1 rallies cause of concern

DEMAND FOR HIGHER PAY Workers commemorate Labor Day in Manila demanding higher
pay to enable them to cope with rising prices. —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Philippine National Police (PNP) considered the coming Labor Day rallies as a source of concern for security planners for the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to be held in the country next week.

“There is no specific threat,” said Chief Supt. Alfredo Valdez, head of Task Force ADB Manila 2018.

“But we are looking at May 1 when labor groups are expected to converge for rallies,” he said.

Valdez said 67 finance ministers and some 3,000 delegates from different countries will be in the country for the 51st ADB Board of Governors’ annual meeting scheduled on May 3-6.

He said 8,000 policemen would be deployed to the meeting’s venues as well as routes leading to these venues.

Sendoff

On Friday, the PNP held a send-off ceremony for policemen who would be deployed to the different ADB venues, including the cities of Pasig, Makati and Taguig.

Director General Fernando Mendez, PNP deputy chief for operations, told the policemen the ADB meetings “will again put to the test” the capability of the country’s security forces.

Mendez said members of the PNP contingent were carefully selected and trained.

“This is another opportunity for us to replicate our successful security coverage of previous big events,” he said.