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