Police forces in Metro Manila were placed under highest security alert status as part of the security measures for the third State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Marcos on Monday, July 22.
Col. Jean Fajardo, spokesperson of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the full alert status was declared at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 19, and will be effective until midnight of Monday in the National Capital Region (NCR).
“Aside from declaration of full alert status, we also activated our Task Force Metro Manila Shield wherein we will be conducting border control with the nearby regions like Central Luzon and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon),” said Fajardo.
More than 22,000 policemen will be tapped to secure the SONA on Monday, the send-off of most of those who would be deployed happened on Friday. Thousands more from various government agencies are also expected to augment the police forces.
In the case of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), more than 1,300 of its personnel will be deployed to secure the traffic management in Quezon City and nearby areas.
Fajardo said around 5,000 to 6,000 policemen will be deployed near the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City.
“Our security deployments are now in place for the SONA and we held our send-off ceremony to check on the strength and availability of our resources,” said Fajardo.
Part of the security measures, according to Fajardo, is the implementation of the three-day gun ban in Metro Manila.
The suspension of the Permit to Carry Firearms Outside Residence (PTCFOR) will be from 12:01 a.m. on July 20 to until 12 midnight of July 22 in the National Capital Region.
Meanwhile, Fajardo said their security measures are also in place for the expected presence of protesters, adding that both anti and pro-rallyists will have designated areas as to where they could hold protest actions.
For the anti-Marcos protesters, police said they will be allowed until the Tandang Sora area while the pro-Marcos rallyists will be allowed up to the Sandiganbayan.
“They will have safe distance in order to prevent tension between the two groups,” said Fajardo.
The PNP spokesperson said they are also in constant coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and based on the latest assessment, there is no serious threat for Monday's SONA.
“We are preparing for everything. We don’t want to relax. We will maintain our aggressive stance including our partners from the AFP and other law enforcement agencies,” said Fajardo.