The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday assured the reinforcement of the Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel deployed in the upcoming State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Junior on July 22.
AFP Spokesperson Colonel Margareth Padilla said that the military will augment over 22,000 police forces in various parts of the country.
“For peace and security, this is for the PNP, the AFP will augment. We have the joint task force NCR providing troops for the SONA,” Padilla said.
Padilla clarified that the AFP has always been part of the task force preparing for the SONA of the presidents.
“It is part of the regular activity that we conduct annually. The AFP is always part of the task force in charge of all of these. So whatever it is, the role that the AFP plays is very actively participating in po tayo diyan,” she continued.
The AFP however did not mention the exact headcount of the personnel augmentation for the PNP but assured availability of its troops on that day.
“We don’t usually give numbers on that, but kung kailangan nila ng more troops, we stationed AFP personnel from near camps. Kung ano requirements ng AFP, we will comply.”
In a statement issued on Monday, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said 22,621 police will be dispatched, and sub-task groups will be formed.
“Apart from the Security Task Force Sona 2024, we will form sub-task groups led by our five district directors in Metro Manila,” NCRPO chief Major Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr said.