Amid the ongoing preparations for the third State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Marcos at the Batasan Pambansa next week, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Monday reaffirmed her commitment to respect freedom of speech and peaceful assembly.
“Quezon City remains a bastion of democracy and free speech as we uphold every Filipino’s right to peacefully assemble. However, all rallyists are encouraged to police their ranks and mandated to follow the law,” she said in a statement.
Belmonte urged both pro- and anti-administration demonstrators to coordinate with the QC Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS) to secure necessary permits for their rallies.
She appealed to demonstrators to maintain peace and order, and avoid disruptive acts during the Chief Executive’s third SONA on July 22.
The city government’s Law and Order Cluster has already meticulously planned security and safety measures, she said.
Various departments, agencies, offices, personnel and resources have been strategically allocated to support the national government’s deployment efforts.
The Quezon City Police District will be deploying 6,500 operatives to ensure the safety and orderliness of the SONA. DPOS chief Elmo San Diego is set to field hundreds of personnel as well from the Task Force Disiplina and barangays.
Belmonte said the city’s traffic management sector shall release a detailed traffic rerouting plan in the coming days to guide motorists on which areas to avoid and which roads to use as alternate routes on the day of the event.
To mitigate traffic disruptions on major thoroughfares, the city government would deploy additional traffic enforcers from the Transport and Traffic Management Department and field free bus rides to commuters within the affected areas.
On the hand, the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office is prepared to respond swiftly to any emergencies, Belmonte said.
