MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) announced on Tuesday that it has begun planning security for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s second State of the National Address (SONA) in July.
PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. said that the police force would gather data from intelligence reports and other law enforcement agencies to identify possible threats to the event.
“Preparations on the ground are in full swing for us to ensure that the staging of this event will be peaceful and orderly. All information relevant to security matters is being seriously evaluated,” Acorda said.
He added that PNP’s security plan would cover its contingency moves within the Batasan Pambansa Complex in Quezon City, where Marcos is set to deliver his address.
Acorda said the PNP has yet to finalize the number of police personnel dispatched and tasked to maintain peace and order at the venue and some parts of Metro Manila where demonstrations may be held.
“Expect the PNP to maximize the utilization of all its available resources to ensure the peaceful and orderly staging of this event,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, he said that protesters would only be allowed to stage rallies in designated freedom parks as the law provides.
The police force will exercise “maximum tolerance” in dealing with protesters during the Sona, Acorda said.
“We will also reach out to representatives of all groups who are planning to stage protest rallies during the event. I am hopeful that we can arrive at a consensus, where they can exercise their freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression but without prejudice to the security measures we intend to adopt,” he added. (Faith Argosino © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
