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(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Byline: Gil C. Cabacungan, Carlito Pablo and Cynthia D. Balana
THE SAFETY of the world's most powerful man during his short stay in the country is of paramount concern, Malacanang said yesterday amid the agitation among legislators caused by the security preparations for the visit here on Oct. 18 of US President George W. Bush.
The Philippines would be "placed in a very bad light" if any harm should come to Bush during his visit, deputy presidential spokesperson Ricardo Saludo said at a briefing in which he addressed the concerns of some resentful House members who claim that US security people have taken over the security preparations in the Batasan complex from the hands of Filipinos.
"We have a working arrangement between the Philippine and US security agencies to ensure that there will be no security glitches that would mar Bush's visit," Saludo said.
"If there are problems in the preparations, these can be sorted out. We leave it to the police and the Presidential Security Group to come up with a workable solution," he said.
Saludo stressed that the government's cooperation with US security agencies did not mean that it has passed on domestic security matters to foreigners.