Lapu-Lapu City taps Asean Summit playbook for IRONMAN 70.3 preparations

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Lapu-Lapu City is banking on the same operational blueprint that successfully secured the Asean or Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit for the IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu and Cebu this Sunday.

Mayor Cindi King Chan said the city government has once again activated its well-tested multi-agency security and emergency response plan, drawing from its experience in staging one of the country’s biggest international gatherings.

“As we’ve done in the past, we have to ensure the safety, the security, and the wholesome experience of the participants, an unforgettable experience,” Chan said during Friday’s press conference at the Mactan Expo.

IRONMAN 70.3 will draw thousands of athletes, coaches, and visitors to Lapu-Lapu.

Mayor Chan recalled that the city’s hosting of the Asean Summit at the same venue demonstrated the local government’s capability to deliver a safe and seamless international event.

“As you know, the successful Asean Summit that happened here, at this very venue, we were able to deliver a safe, secure, and very successful event,” she said. “We have, fingers crossed, no bad incidents that happened in the race from the past IRONMAN race hosting for the past five years.”

Inspired by that experience, the city has assembled a massive inter-agency force of over a thousand personnel to oversee security, traffic management, public safety, and medical response throughout the 1.9-kilometer swim, 90-kilometer bike, and 21.1-kilometer run course.

Massive deployment of personnel

The deployment brings together the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office, Lapu-Lapu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard, Regional Maritime Unit in Central Visayas (RMU-7), and barangay peacekeeping personnel.

Maritime teams will patrol the waters off Mactan Newtown during the swim leg, while police officers and barangay personnel will secure key road networks across Mactan Island and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), one of the race’s signature bike course segments. Medical teams and rescue units will also be stationed at strategic points to respond immediately to emergencies, including dehydration, exhaustion, and injuries.

Chan also wished the city’s own rescue personnel well as members of the Lapu-Lapu Rescue Team from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office are set to compete in the race while remaining part of the city’s emergency preparedness efforts.

Final security preparations were completed this week during an inter-agency coordination meeting at Camp Sergio Osmeña Sr. in Cebu City, attended by representatives from the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas and the RMU-7, highlighting the collaborative effort behind another major international event in Lapu-Lapu City.

The IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu and Cebu attracted 1,417 triathletes from 48 countries, making it one of the country’s biggest sporting events of the year and another opportunity for the city to showcase its capability to host world-class competitions.

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