All security preparations are now in place for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, with three groups granted permits to stage protest rallies, the Philippine National Police said yesterday.
In a radio interview, PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said permits were issued to militant group Bayan, which will hold a rally near St. Peter’s Church on Commonwealth Avenue; Tindig Pilipinas, which requested space in White Plains; and a pro-administration group that was allowed to gather near the Sandiganbayan building, also on Commonwealth Avenue.
“We are coordinating with them to ensure they police their own ranks and avoid any unnecessary friction,” Fajardo said.
She said the IBP Road would be off-limits to all rallies, regardless of affiliation as part of the agreed security plan.
More than 12,000 police personnel will be deployed to secure the vicinity of the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City and surrounding areas.
“More or less, that would be the deployment unless, of course, we deem it necessary to add the deployment of our personnel over the prevailing security situation,” Fajardo said.
Full deployment will begin early Monday, she said, with backup teams positioned across Metro Manila and other regions for anti-criminality operations and threat monitoring.
The National Capital Region Police Office, headed by Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin, also ordered intensified checkpoint operations in coordination with the PNP Highway Patrol Group, the Land Transportation Office, and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Armed Forces will assist in security and traffic management.
The MMDA’s Mobile Command Center, equipped with CCTV monitors, will be stationed at the Batasan-Commonwealth junction, while its Communications and Command Center in Pasig will monitor rallies.
Road-clearing operations will also be conducted near the SONA venue to ensure smooth traffic flow.
The MMDA is sending a total of 1,329 personnel from various units to manage traffic, respond to emergencies, clear roads, and assist in crowd control.
Ambulances, tow trucks, fire trucks, mobile patrol units, motorcycle units, flood mitigation equipment, and other resources will also be deployed at designated routes and staging areas.
The agency will also implement a zipper lane or counterflow along Commonwealth Avenue to give way to vehicles of government officials and guests going to the Batasang Pambansa.
Motorists are advised to take alternate routes to avoid the anticipated heavy traffic along Commonwealth Avenue and IBP Road.
As this developed, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) urged the President to cover both a legislated wage hike and decent employment in his upcoming SONA.
TUCP party-list Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza cited the June 2025 Pulse Asia survey which showed that most Filipinos want inflation, wages, peace and order, employment, and poverty tackled in the SONA.
“We are halfway through the Marcos administration, and this is the moment of truth. The state of the Filipino worker must be at the heart of this SONA,” Mendoza said.
