President Duterte Visits Cebu Friday

President Rodrigo Duterte is set to make his first official visit to Cebu as president on Friday.

Duterte last visited Cebu on June 25, before he assumed office, to attend a thanksgiving party organized by his supporters at the South Road Properties (SRP) in Cebu City.

The President will arrive at 4 p.m. and will proceed to a security briefing with officials from the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force in the Visayas regions under the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command (Centcom) at Camp Lapu-Lapu in Lahug, Cebu City.

The Centcom covers Regions 6, 7, 8 and the Negros Island Region.

The President is also expected to meet with soldiers where he will deliver his “talk to men” speech.

Pres. Duterte will then head to the Mactan Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City where he will meet with Presidential Assistant Michael Lloyd Dino for a briefing on issues and concerns in Cebu like traffic, flooding and infrastructure, among others.

The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has already deployed three teams from the Special Weapons and Tactics, Regional Public Safety Battalion and Waterfront Police Station to the Malacañang sa Sugbo to serve as security detail.

CCPO Director Joel Doria said Malacañang sa Sugbo, which is near Plaza Independencia, is the President’s official residence in the Visayas.

“Any high-ranking officials who will arrive, we’ll have to provide security,” Doria said.

He said 13 SWAT personnel, a 16-member team from the RPSB and a beat patrol from Police Station 3 will secure the building.

He said the building was identified as a vital installation, so it’s standard operating procedure to assign authorized operatives to guard it.

The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas will soon hold office at the Malacañang sa Sugbo. (PNA) JMC/EB/EDS