Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo assured that concerns about security, vehicular traffic, airport and immigration procedures, transport and accommodations have been addressed by the Miss Universe hosting secretariat in continuous preparations to welcome 87 delegates of the prestigious pageant from across the globe.
“Everything is in place, we just had a successful meeting,” said Teo in a press briefing after the interagency meeting at the Department of Tourism (DOT) main office. Major government agencies, led by the departments of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Transportation (DOTr) and Health (DOH), attended the interagency meeting to ensure the successful holding of the event.
Memorandum Circular 13, signed by President Duterte, mandates all departments, agencies, bureaus and all government offices to support the DOT in hosting the 65th edition of the Miss Universe.
DILG Undersecretary Emily Padilla said that Philippine National Police (PNP), the local government units concerned and other law- enforcement agencies will ensure security and public safety during the international event.
Police Senior Supt. Emmanuel Licup, on his end, said special task forces have been organized in every host province. The PNP official also assured that “no threat” has been detected anywhere in the country three weeks before the Miss Universe pageant.
“In support of the DOT, we have activated our task force; we conducted a lot of meetings already, coordinated with other law-enforcement agencies, including the Interpol,” Licup stressed.
Meanwhile, DOTr Assistant Secretary Cherie Mercado-Santos reiterated that during the event, no roads will be closed and that efforts will be done to avoid causing discomfort to the riding public. “We are doing the proper coordination with the DOT, MIAA, and Caap to ensure the comfort of both the contestants and the riding public, we are confident that everything will be in order. There will be no road closures or traffic rerouting in Metro Manila and in the host provinces,” she said. Other agencies present in the interagency meeting include the Bureau of Immigration, the Food and Drugs Administration, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).
The DOT is the lead agency in the Philippines’s hosting of the world’s most prestigious international pageant as approved by Duterte in August last year upon the proposal of the Miss Universe Organization and private sponsor Luis Chavit Singson Group of Companies.