The Philippine National Police (PNP) is set to form a special task force that will oversee the overall security implementation for the first State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.

Police Maj. Gen. Valeriano De Leon, PNP director for Operations, said the task force will also be tasked to be in coordination with other government agencies for the traffic rerouting, handling of protesters and other security issues.

So far, De Leon said the security preparations are doing well as the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has already presented its SONA security plan last week.

"The presentation was impressive, but there will be minor adjustments in the actual deployment," said De Leon.

"The security preparations would not be as stringent as the inauguration because this will be done in a closed building, but still, we have to be very careful about the surroundings, especially that Quezon City is a populated area," he added.

Based on the plan, more or less 15,000 policemen, soldiers, and other force multipliers from other government agencies will be tapped to secure the SONA of President Marcos.

De Leon said the PNP will also designate freedom parks where protesters can hold their programs. This was done during the inauguration of President Marcos at the National Museum in Manila on June 30 and was proven successful in terms of peace and order in Manila.

"We expect rallyists to air their issues, but we encourage them to hold it at the right venue." "There will be dialogue on this matter with them." "We also have to respect their rights," said De Leon.

De Leon also appealed to the protesters to give the new administration a chance to lay down the plans and to implement them in the next six years.

"Let us give the new administration under the leadership of President Marcos a chance to prove its capability to run the government well," said De Leon.