SECURITY measures are in place for President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address today at the Batasan complex, with the PNP going on full alert, according to PNP deputy chief for operations Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar.
Eleazar, the concurrent chief of the Joint Task Force COVID Shield, said the police force has not monitored any threat to the President’s fifth SONA, except COVID-19.
He said 5,400 policemen and 1,900 personnel from the Armed Forces and other government agencies will be deployed in key areas in Quezon City.
“Nakahanda na ang ating PNP (The PNP is prepared),” Eleazar said, adding the National Capital Region Police Office is ready to make security adjustments.
“Yes, full alert na tayo nyan kasi pinaghahandaan natin itong SONA na taon-taon ay ating ginaganap. (Yes, we are on full alert; we’ve been preparing for SONA which we are holding every year),” he added.
NCRPO Director Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas said they will strictly implement the no permit, no rally” directive of the Department of Interior and Local Government.
He, however, said they will implement maximum tolerance if the protesters insist on conducting their protest on Commonwealth Ave.
“We will talk to them first, and if they will not listen to use and they insist, we have no choice but to arrest them,” Sinas said.
Militant groups are expected to go out in the streets to hold their traditional protests but protest actions will be confined at the University of the Philippines campus, subject to health protocols like observing physical distancing and wearing of face mask amid the pandemic.
Eleazar said the protesters are not allowed to leave the UP campus because they have no permit to hold protest in other areas.
“Wala namang permit so ibig sabihin violation ‘yun. So in essence puwedeng hulihin, pwedeng puntahan ng pulis para pagsabihan sila at i-disperse kung lalabas sila dun. (They have no permit so that means it’s a violation. So in essence, they can be arrested, they can be accosted by the police, warn them and disperse them if they venture outside (UP),” he said.
Eleazar said the police force has not monitored any security threat for the SONA, except the deadly COVID-19.
“Wala tayong namomonitor na threat sa overall pero patuloy naman syempre ‘yung pagkakalap natin nyan. The only threat that we have is ‘yung COVID threat. (We have not monitored any threat overall, but we continue to gather information. The only threat that we have is the COVID threat),” he said, adding the PNP is prepared for any possible scenarios that may arise.
Eleazar said the only challenge for the PNP is ensuring the protesters follow the guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, referring to the wearing of face mask and observing physical distancing.
He said the protesters should observing health protocols, noting that mass gathering is one of the reasons for the spread of the deadly virus.
“Ang panawagan po natin sa ating mga kababayan tayo po ay nasa community quarantine pa rin kaya meron tayong mga regulasyon na dapat sinusunod at aming pinapatupad, so kooperasyon ng lahat ang amin pong kahilingan. (Our appeal to our countrymen is we are still under community quarantine and there are regulations that should be followed and we are enforcing, so we are seeking the cooperation of everyone),” he said.
PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said: “Kasado na ang ating preparations para sa siguradad para sa SONA ng ating Pangulo at sa ngayon ay wala naman tayong natatangap na anumang banta. (Our preparations are in place for the SONA of our President and at present, we have not monitored any threat),” he said, adding the peace and order situation is very stable.
Banac said the protesters will be allowed to gather at the UP campus and called on the rally organizers to be police their own ranks to ensure that health protocols and health standards are followed.
“Ang atin pong PNP ay nasa labas lamang at hindi po tayo makikialam diyan at ginagalang natin ang academic freedom sa lugar na ‘yan. Naroon lamang tayo sa distansya. (The PNP will be outside and we are not going to meddle and we respect academic freedom in that area. We’ll be keeping our distance),” he said.
Banac also encouraged the people not to go out in the street to protest, suggesting they should air their grievances online amid the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
“We are appealing, if possible stay and home and do the protest online. Avail of the online protest, protect ourselves,” he said.
Interior department undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya reiterated that mass gatherings, like rallies, pose high risk of COVID-19 transmission.
“Therefore, upon the advice of the medical community, we strongly urge the public to avoid mass gatherings of any kind at this time due to the high risk of COVID transmission,” said Malaya.
“While we agree that the public has the right to peacefully assemble for the redress of grievances, we are in the middle of a global pandemic, and such assemblies are subject to reasonable regulation of the authorities to protect public health and the general welfare,” added Malaya.
Malaya urged the rally organizers “not to compromise the health and welfare of the people.”
“We ask them not to be blind to the scientific evidence that mass gatherings are the fastest way for the virus to spread among their ranks which can then infect their families and ultimately their communities. We urge them to be responsible Filipino citizens and do their part in defeating this global pandemic. We ask them to be part of the solution and not the problem,” added Malaya. — With Noel Talacay
