Philippines has a 'selfie protocol' to protect its president-elect

Those wanting to get up close and personal with the Philippines' new president-elect, Rodrigo Duterte, to take a selfie will now have to abide to a stringent process that Filipino authorities came up with.

The new protocol was drawn up after the tough-talking Duterte was mobbed by well-wishers during a meet-and-greet session in Davao city on Tuesday. While taking selfies with his supporters, Duterte lost his balance and almost fell.

To prevent such an incident from happening again and to ensure Duterte's safety and security, the police came up with a screening process.

Duterte, who will be sworn in as the country's new president on June 30, is known for being accessible to the public and willing to take selfies with them.

His supporters will be disappointed to know that in future, a holding room for the media will be implemented where media personnel are expected to wait after they go through security screening.

Also, access to Duterte at the Matina Enclaves, where he has been holding his meet-and-greets, is now strictly by appointment only.

The Matina Enclaves is not the only place under police scrutiny. Some 2,000 uniformed police staff have been deployed to strategic areas in Davao.

Filipino police spokesperson, chief inspector Migrace Driz, told reporters: "I know that Mayor Duterte does not want so many people securing him, but we have to do our job. The situation is different now than when he was just our mayor."

Duterte had previously complained about the tightening of his security detail, describing it as "OA (overacting)."

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