Public assistance hotlines were launched on Tuesday to accommodate reports on security threats and complaints related to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meetings in Metro Manila.[Special coverage]
Members of the public are urged to report any suspicious person, suspicious activity or anything detrimental to the security of the APEC meetings. The hotlines numbers are: 0949 729 0082 for Smart subscribers and 0906 216 3615 for Globe subscribers.
Security measures in Manila, especially around APEC venues have been tightened following terror attacks in Paris that killed over 100 people on Saturday.
Colonel Restituto Padilla,spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines upgraded their alert status from "Blue" to "Red" in preparation for the hosting of APEC 2015. Padilla said the alert status was raised a day ahead of schedule as a matter of procedure following any international terrorist incident such as Saturday's terror attacks in Paris.
Police have put up checkpoints on the roads leading to the APEC venues and quick reaction units, walk-through scanning, baggage X-rays, police dogs, vehicles screening, pedestrian screening and explosive and ordnance division personnel have also been deployed at the Philippine International Conventional Center (PICC) and hotels.
Many APEC leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, have arrived in the Philippines for the APEC Economic Leaders' meeting on Nov. 18 and 19 at the PICC.
