FULL FORCE. Quezon City Police District officers inspect their equipment at their headquarters in Camp Karingal on July 10, 2024. At least 22,000 cops will be deployed, with 6,000 in and around the Batasang Pambansa Complex, for the third State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on July 22. (PNA file photo by Joan Bondoc)
MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) has intensified its intelligence monitoring and security operations to ensure peace and order for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s third State of Nation Address (SONA) on July 22.
In a press briefing in Camp Crame on Monday, PNP public information office chief Col. Jean Fajardo said they are regularly coordinating with other law enforcement agencies to thwart possible security threats against the Marcos administration.
"Magkakaroon ng inter-agency meeting para ipakita at ipresenta ng inyong pambansang pulisya katuwang yung AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and Philippine Coast Guard kung ano na po ba ang stages ng ating (There would be an inter-agency meeting and the national police will present, together with the AFP and the Philippine Coast Guard as to the stages of our) preparation. But as we speak we are almost at the final stage of our preparation, kung meron man adjustment, minor adjustment with respect sa ating paglatag po ng securities, ito na lang siguro sa mga darating na araw kung saka-sakali po na may maaprubuhan na permit to rallies (if there would be adjustments, it would be minor adjustments with respect to our security plans, it would be implemented in the coming days in case there would be permits to rallies that would be approved)," Fajardo said.
She, however, said have yet to monitor any serious threats that may disrupt the SONA.
At least 22,000 police officers will secure the SONA, and 6,000 will be deployed near the Batasang Pambansa Complex where Marcos will deliver his address.
The Quezon City Police District will implement a gun and liquor ban in the area on SONA day.
Meanwhile, Fajardo refused to comment on the pronouncement of Vice President Sara Duterte that she is skipping the SONA for the first time, as she was appointing herself as the “designated survivor.”
"Hayaan natin na siya mismo ang magpaliwanag siguro tanungin natin kung ano ba yung konteksto ng kanyang sinabi (Let us let her explain what she said or it would be better ask to her about the context of what she said," Fajardo said.
In pop culture, Designated Survivor is a television series where the plot is about a lower-ranking official being designated to assume leadership of the government following a bomb attack that happened while the country's president was delivering his state address.
The President delivers the SONA every year, usually held every last Monday of July, to report the state of the country, unveil the administration’s agenda, and ask Congress to pass priority measures. (PNA)
