The Philippine National Police said it has not received information on security threats ahead of President Marcos third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22.
PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said they are also looking into refinements in traffic management plans to minimize inconvenience to the public.
“As for the SONA, we don’t receive any threat but remember, because of excessive security measures, many are angered due to the inconvenience caused by traffic congestion. That’s what we are looking at, so that after the SONA, people will not have a hard time going home,” Marbil said.
He said there would be designated areas for protests that would be staged by various groups.
“The same maximum tolerance (policy). They can go on with their protests but make sure they don’t cause inconvenience,” he said.
“It’s the public who is burdened here. It’s a problem created by both the rallyists and the excessive deployment of security forces,” he added.
The Southern Police District said on Friday it is set to deploy 821 cops to ensure peace and order during President Marcos’ third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22, 2024.
With only 17 days left, the SPD has intensified its efforts to guarantee the safety and security of all participants and the general public.
Under the leadership of Brig. Gen. Leon Victor Rosete, comprehensive preparations have been meticulously undertaken.
These include a two-day seminar on Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) operations refresher course, which is crucial in ensuring peace and order and in preventing any injuries or harm to demonstrators exercising their freedom of speech.
In addition to the seminar, the SPD has been diligently practicing the 8-Basic CDM formations, which are essential for the effective implementation of crowd control measures during significant events.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline Southern Police District to deploy 821 personnel for Marcos SONA