Security remained on full alert in Manila on Thursday (November 19), on the second and last day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting.
Regional tensions over the South China Sea and security concerns after the attack by Islamist militants on Paris could eclipse efforts by Pacific-Rim leaders this week to boost trade and growth across a region of around 3 billion people.
Philippine officials have said that while isolated incidents have raised fears of a terror attack, there has been no intelligence suggesting a major threat to the Manila summit.
The Philippine police chief assured that the extraordinary security preparations would be sufficient to properly protect the delegates. 
The APEC gathers heads of state and representatives from 21 member nations, including U.S. President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Around 30,000 soldiers and police have been deployed in the Philippine capital to protect the leaders.
Philippine navy and coast guard vessels continued to patrol Manila Bay, right next to the summit venue, where army and police forces have installed security checkpoints.
Philippine authorities have locked down several roads and highway lanes for the exclusive use of delegates’ vehicles to allow leaders to get to the meeting venues smoothly.
The Philippine government declared a two-day holiday November 18-19, and encouraged people to stay home. Schools and public offices have been closed. (Reuters)
