President Marcos ended his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 22, with no serious breach to peace and order, especially outside the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City, a police official said.
Police Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez, Jr. said the President’s SONA was generally peaceful on the aspect of security outside the Batasan Pambansa and in various parts of Metro Manila.
More than 22,000 policemen were tapped to secure the SONA, they were deployed as early as Friday, July 21.
Police forces in Metro Manila were also placed under highest security alert status until midnight on Monday and the Task Force Metro Manila Shield was also activated to conduct security-related border patrols with the nearby provinces of Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite and Rizal.
The challenge on the part of the police forces was the presence of more than 3,000 anti-Marcos protesters who were monitored as early as 6 a.m. in Tandang Sora.
On the other hand, around 4,500 pro-Marcos individuals were also monitored.
Nartatez then expressed gratitude to the protesters for their role in ensuring that no serious breach to peace and order would happen.
“We highly appreciate the cooperation of the numerous organizations and rally organizers who respected their limits, as well as the public as a whole. This cooperative spirit contributed to the smooth and peaceful outcome of SONA 2024,” said Nartatez.