NCRPO all set for PBBM’S SONA—Okubo
NATIONAL Capital Region Police Office director Major General Edgar Alan O. Okubo yesterday assured their 100 percent preparedness to keep the 2nd State-of-the-Nation-Address of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. safe and secure this coming July 24.
According to the official, a total of 22,081 personnel will be assigned to secure the President’s SONA with 17,121 of them from the NCRPO headquarters and its five districts while the rest will come from the different Philippine National Police NCRPO-based National Support Unit and the Aviation Security Group.
Others will be from the PNP Special Action Force, Joint Task Force NCR, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Office of Civil Defense, Department of Health, Metro Manila Development Authority and Philippine Red Cross.
Another 500 ‘force multipliers’ from different volunteer groups as well as 4,405 members of the PNP Reactionary Standby Support Force will also help augment the security outside the Batasan Pambansa complex in Quezon City and other parts of Metro Manila, Maj. Gen. Okubo said.
The NCRPO chief said they will be particularly tightening their security in and around the Batasan Pambansa complex and the 31 border control points inside and outside Metro Manila.
Maj. Gen. Okubo said that their Civil Disturbance Management contingents would be deployed to keep peace and order and enforce the law in the area specifically in so-called Freedom Parks where would-be protesters are allowed to air their grievances provided it is within the bounds of the law.
He said that starting 12:01 a.m. of July 12 until 12 midnight of the same day, all Permits-to-Carry-Firearms-Outside-of-Residence issued to licensed gun owners will be temporarily suspended in Metro Manila.
However, he appealed to leaders of different protest groups and the rest of the public to fully cooperate with their security measures to ensure that the SONA would be ‘trouble-free.’
PNP chief General Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. said that police will be fully exercising maximum tolerance in dealing with would-be SONA demonstrators but made an impassioned appeal to the protesters to respect the police and most importantly, refrain from throwing paint on officers.
“Ang appeal ko po sa mga rallyista eh observance of mutual respect. Nakikiusap po ako na irespeto din nila ang ating kapulisan lalo na yung mga mahilig sa paint-throwing. Please lang po, mahal po ang uniporme ng pulis, irespeto naman po natin sila,” Gen. Acorda said.
PNP Human Rights Affairs Office director, Brigadier Gen. Limuel E. Obon said that the PNP chief’s guidance is to ensure maximum tolerance and full observance of human rights during the President’s SONA.
PNP Deputy Chief for Operations, Lieutenant Gen. Michael John F. Dubria will be the overall supervisor of the Task Force SONA.
