The Philippine National Police (PNP) placed Metro Manila on full alert starting noon Friday, and Central Visayas, which includes Cebu, beginning midnight Saturday, in preparation for the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

The rest of the country will be also placed on heightened alert effective Sunday, PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao said.

A full alert means the deployment of all security personnel in a specific area while a heightened alert means fielding 75 percent of the total number of policemen.

Pagdilao said the alert status was not prompted by any specific terror threats against the ASEAN Summit but in anticipation of mass protests expected in Cebu.

Despite the travel advisories issued by the United Kingdom, Australia, United States and Japan on imminent terror attacks on Cebu, Pagdilao said everything was under control and security measures are in place.

The Philippines is now the yearly chairman country of ASEAN and the host of the 12th ASEAN Summit and its related summits scheduled next week.

Source: Xinhua