RP boosts security for Bush visit

RP boosts security for Bush visit

PHILIPPINES: Philippine officials said on Friday they were already stepping up security measures to counter any possible threat against U.S. President George W. Bush during a planned eight-hour visit here next month.

"Continuous security preparations are now being conducted in Metropolitan Manila to ensure the peaceful, historic visit of President Bush" on October 18, said Reynaldo Velasco, chief of police forces in the capital.

These measures included heightened intelligence gathering, tighter checks on buildings near the presidential palace where Bush will meet President Gloria Arroyo, and the deployment of additional bomb-sniffing dogs, Velasco said.

Police had been coordinating with an advance White House team on security requirements during the visit, he added. --AFP