MANILA, Philippines, June 26 (UPI) -- As the Philippine National Police move to nationwide alert, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is preparing for her 32nd trip abroad.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on June 25 that all 115,000 PNP personnel have been placed on nationwide alert, which is scheduled to last until Arroyo returns on July 2 from her trip to Italy, Spain and Vatican City, where she will meet with the Pope.
Philippine National Police spokesman Senior Supt. Samuel Pagdilao said, "The full alert is police standard operating procedure whenever the President is abroad. It is not related to any threat."
The police have recently been on heightened alert. On Wednesday, police established 15 checkpoints around the capital, Manila, and deployed over 20,000 policemen to thwart possible terrorist attacks.
National Capital Region police chief Director Vidal Querol said the police were responding to "consistent" intelligence reports of possible terrorist attacks in Manila.
Last week, Presidential Security Group chief Brig. Gen. Delfin Bangit told journalists of a supposed plot to assassinate Arroyo by a group that he declined to identify, adding that it was the third plot on Arroyo's life in the last two months.
