THE National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has announced it will enforce a no-fly zone in the vicinity of Batasan Complex in Quezon City in connection with the second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 24.
“The implementation of the “No Fly Zone / No Drone Zone” takes effect in and adjacent to the airspace of the Batasang Pambansa,” said NCRPO Maj. Gen. Edgar Alan Okubo.
Okubo also reminded the public that from 12:01 a.m. to 12 midnight of July 24, all Permit to Carry Firearms Outside Residence in Metro Manila will be suspended.
Meanwhile, an additional 824 police personnel will be assigned for SONA, bringing to 22,905 the total number of policemen who will be deployed to secure peace and order before, during and after the event.
Okubo said of 17,929 of the lawmen will come from the NCRPO; 4,476 from other government units, and the rest assigned as “force multipliers.”
The NCRPO cops are set to conduct simulations and communication exercises in mapping out contingency measures for various types of incidents that may occur.
“We are anticipating the presence of protest actions, so we are ready to maintain order and security. We will also strictly enforce maximum tolerance and compliance with Police Operational Procedures, especially valuing the human rights of all who will participate in this day,” Okubo said.
Philippine National Police chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. said so far, the government has monitored no possible threat to the SONA 2023.
“As of now we have not received reports about it [threats], but as we have been saying, expect the worst and hope for the best,” he said.