ASEAN security team prepared for threats, conducts mock shooting incident

The ASEAN Security Task Force (ASTF) said Saturday it was prepared to respond to any possible shooting incident that may threaten the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

The task force is composed of members from the Presidential Security Group, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, and other security personnel.

Last Wednesday, in the middle of the heavy rains caused by Typhoon Salome, the ASTF had conducted a simulation exercise on responding to an active shooting incident (RASI), where the team decisively acted and immediately arrested the "suspects."

The activity started with two unidentified armed men entering the hotel and actively shooting people at the parking area as they head toward the hotel entrance.

The first responders then immediately acted and exchanged gun fires with the two suspects.

"Even with Typhoon Salome in the Philippine area of responsibility, I am very pleased that our security personnel showed us what they are really made of when they were able to respond quickly to the active shooters during the exercise. This only goes to show that they are very much ready just in case an active shooting incident occurs during the summit," Catalino Cuy, officer-in-charge of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, said in a statement.

Cuy is also the chairman of the Committee on Security, Peace and Order, and Emergency Preparedness and Response (CSPOEPR).

Also present during the activity were ASEAN National Organizing Council (NOC) Chairman, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea; ASEAN NOC Director General for Operations, Ambassador Marciano Paynor, Jr.; and ASTF Commander, Police Director Napoleon C. Taas.

"We need to be able to respond to threats of active shooting within the first two-minutes and contain the incident right away so it will not spread and cause more trouble," Police Chief Superintendent William Macavinta, leader of the Red Team, said during the CSPOEPR debriefing.

"Shooting incidents like those that happened in Las Vegas, San Francisco in California, and Resorts World are classic examples of active shooting incidents which could happen anywhere, even during the summit.  This is why we are doing all these exercises to test our skills and alertness so that we will be ready just in case a similar incident happens here," Macavinta added.

Macavinta also said the CSPOEPR is also prepared with additional first responders including secondary entry team, containment, outer perimeter and medical evacuation for similar incidents and other security threats during the ASEAN Summit. — Jamil Santos/MDM, GMA News