ASEAN SCHOOL GAMES. Security preparations are now underway as Dumaguete City, the capital of Negros Oriental, gears up for the hosting of the 12th Asean School Games in November. In a meeting on Tuesday (May 17, 2022), simulated exercises on security, such as a bomb drill were discussed. (Photo courtesy of Rey Lyndon Lawas)
DUMAGUETE CITY – The city government here, in collaboration with partners and stakeholders, will be holding a series of simulated security exercises to ensure the safety of thousands of international delegations to the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) School Games (ASG).
The Philippines will be hosting the event with the city chosen as the venue.
City security consultant Rey Lyndon Lawas told the Philippine News Agency on Wednesday that the simulated exercises (SIMEX) will begin with a bomb drill on Friday.
Succeeding security drills include convoys, the ferrying of delegations from hotels to venues and back, and other related procedures.
Lawas, a retired police general and councilor-elect, said the Committee on Security, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and Response, which he chairs, met on Tuesday at the Department of Education (DepEd) Sub-Regional Office to discuss security preparations and other concerns.
“We have been holding a series of meetings already to ensure the safety of the 5,000 athletes and other delegation members who are expected to arrive in Dumaguete for the Asean School Games,” he said.
The DepEd regional director, Dr. Salustiano Jimenez, chairs the local steering committee of the ASG and is in close coordination with the city government, as well as the provincial government and other stakeholders, he added.
Lawas said the venues for the eight sporting events -- archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, sepak takraw, swimming, table tennis, and volleyball -- have been identified in the city.
However, there is still a need to finalize the venue for the swimming events as the province’s swimming pool at the Negros Oriental Aqua Center is not an Olympic standard-sized pool, he added.
At least 10 countries are participating in the ASG -- the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Lawas said the Philippine National Police will be the primary security provider during the games and if necessary, the city will request augmentation troops from the Police Regional Office 7 in Cebu City.
Depending on the assessment and requirements, the city might also seek help from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other agencies such as the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fire Protection. (PNA)
