ILOILO City – Nearly 5,000 police personnel and force multipliers will be deployed across Western Visayas beginning July 26 as the Police Regional Office (PRO)-6 intensifies security preparations ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), with authorities expecting rallies throughout the region.
Regional police director Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño said more than 3,900 police officers, backed by nearly 1,000 force multipliers, will be stationed in strategic areas to maintain peace and order before, during, and after the President’s July 27 address.
“We are prepared for the SONA… to ensure that the public remains safe and that activities across the region remain peaceful,” Tuaño said.
PRO-6 has heightened intelligence monitoring as authorities anticipate protest actions in different parts of Western Visayas.
“We expect that certain groups will conduct rallies. That is why we continue to conduct intelligence monitoring to determine where these activities will take place so we can provide appropriate security assistance,” said Tuaño.
Tuaño reiterated that the Philippine National Police will enforce its “No Permit, No Rally” policy while upholding the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
“We urge organizers to secure the necessary permits so that their activities will be peaceful, orderly, and properly coordinated,” he said.
Police deployment will begin a day before the SONA, while monitoring of groups applying for rally permits is already underway./PN
