Manila: Some 200 congressmen have signed a resolution approving the purchase of bullet- and bomb-proof car for the protection of President Benigno Aquino.
The resolution called for the acquisition of a "new state-of-the-art car equipped with the latest security features, so that the Presidential Security Group can better protect the president," said Congressman Florencio Noel.
"The President's "no wang-wang" (siren) policy and his strict orders for his security detail to stop their convoy whenever the traffic lights turn red has made the chief executive far more vulnerable to possible terrorist attacks," explained the lawmaker.
Because of the damaged presidential car, Aquino has been using his personal car whenever he goes out of town, said the lawmaker, adding that last year, Aquino's presidential car gave up on him during his presidential trip to Baguio City in northern Luzon.
The presidential cars include two Mercedes-Benz W221 S-Class limousines that were bought in 1998, and one Mercedes-Benz S-Guard automobile bought in 2007. The 2007 Mercedes was submerged in floodwaters when Typhoon Ketsana hit Metro Manila in 2009. It has been repaired six times since then.
The new car could also be used by visiting heads of state, said the lawmakers.
"The advent of improvised explosive devices (IED) used by international terrorists necessitates the use by the highest official of the land of a state car that is not only bulletproof but bombproof as well," the congressman said.
"The governments of many countries, including most of our neighbouring states, have already upgraded the official vehicles of their national leaders in view of the heightened global terrorist attacks."
Convoys attacked
Last year, the convoys of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo in Cotabato City in the south, and Maguindanao Governor Esmail Mangudadatu in Tacurong City, also in the south, were attacked by terrorists who used IEDs.
Mangudadatu was not hurt in the incident. But Maguindanao board member Russman Sinsuat Sr. and a passerby were killed when an IED exploded in a parked Kia car and hit the third car in Mangudatatu's convoy.
The department of budget could get money from government funds for the presidential car, the lawmaker said.
