WITH only a few hours remaining before President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. delivers his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), the Philippine National Police (PNP) announced that no security threats have been identified at this time.
In a press briefing held earlier today at Camp Crame, the PNP confirmed that there are currently no threats linked to the SONA, which is scheduled this afternoon at the Session Hall of the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.
“Sa ngayon naman ay wala. I am always repeating: We are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst,” PNP chief Police General Nicolas Torre III said
Approximately 23,000 personnel have been deployed to ensure the security of the national event, with 16,000 coming from the police force and the remaining 7,000 from other government security agencies.
Although no threats have been detected, the PNP assured the public it will stay on full alert, with a Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) team on standby to help maintain peace and order.
“Mas maganda nang may tao tayo on the ground na nagbabantay kaysa sa wala tayong tao on the ground tapos maghahanap tayo oras na may hindi inaasahan,” Torre said.
The country’s police chief emphasized that protests will be permitted as long as demonstrators stay within legal limits and refrain from causing any form of harm.
“Maximum tolerance pa rin tayo. Sa atin naman dito, ang titignan ay kung gusto lang nilang maghayag ng kanilang opinion at saloobin at ginagawa naman ito within the ambit of the law,” Torre said.
“Pagbibigyan natin at poproteksyunan pa natin ang kanilang karapatan na iyon,” he went on to explain.
According to Torre, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Tindig Pilipinas, and a pro-administration group were all granted permits to stage their protests near the venue.
Meanwhile, the police chief reiterated his warning against the burning of effigies, citing concerns related to safety and environmental regulations.
