LGU Summit on Climate Change kicks off despite travel ban advisories

LEGAZPI CITY --- The organizers of the Local Government Units (LGU) Summit +3i on Climate Change Adaptation expressed dismay over the travel advisories issued by at least three foreign countries discouraging their citizens to visit the Philippines, citing “imminent terrorist attacks.”

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said that the travel ban advisories would indeed affect the holding of the summit because according to the summit secretariat 12 percent of the expected participants have withdrew their attendance to the 3-day climate change conference set today.

Salceda said “the advisories really did damage to our activity but we can not change the US, UK, Australian advisories, no matter how we disagree with their sweeping warning that "there is a high threat from terrorism throughout the Philippines".

He said the travel ban triggered adverse impact to the summit on climate change the first national conference to be held in the country with attendance coming from the 81 Governors, Vice Governors, local chief executives, planners, scientist and civil society leaders across the country including selected foreign countries.

The summit would be addressing critical development concerns brought about by the impact of climate change, marking the start of the three-day LGU Summit+3i on Climate Change.

The 3-day summit carries a P6 million funding from the United Nation Development Program (UNDP) and the provincial government of Albay.

Salceda in yesterday’s press briefing said constructive and proportional response security measures had been put in place this include: double security preparations and inform the public on such preparations.

He said since the start of the preparations for the LGU Summit, the PNP and AFP units have been engaged.

Salceda said both PNP and AFP reported that there are no intelligence reports and no specific threats to the province.

However, the advisories have prompted the implementation of the following countermeasures: increase the police deployment; deploy tourist cops from Camalig to Sto. Domingo ; AFP units in the province are on standby alert .

PNP- Comelec checkpoints shall continue its monitoring ; intelligence or information gathering has been intensified and all participants shall be given a handy list of contact numbers (police, fire, hospitals, provincial offices). (MSArguelles/PNA Bicol/PIA/mal)