NCRPO, military see no threat to Duterte SONA

July 10, 2018

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has not monitored any threats related to the  third State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte this month.

“We haven't received information as to threat or terrorist attempt that can happen on this particular SONA but we are constantly coordinating with the concerned agencies, intelligence community that's why the NICA ( National Intelligence Coordinating Agency) is here to brief us eventually so that we can assess properly as we are nearing this holding of SONA this coming July 23,” NCRPO Director Chief Superintendent Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar said on Tuesday.

Col. Noel Detoyato, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief, assures that the communist terrorists are not a threat to the SONA as he expressed belief  the rebels are capable of destabilizing the government.

“Their threat is limited up to the rally. Maybe they have threat to our commuters because there will be traffic but to destabilize the whole government, no they can’t do that,” he said.

Eleazar confirmed that they received information about groups that will conduct protests during SONA.

“We have information that not only those critics or against this administration will be having their protest rally or mobilization but like what happened last year there are some groups supporting the president who will be mobilizing the members of their group and conduct their own programs on this SONA on that day that is why we have coordinated already with the leaders of this group,” he said.

He said as part of their security preparation the NCRPO is planning to talk to militant groups that will participate in protests.

“We have plan to talk to them just like what we have done on the previous years... we have several options on how to make the arrangement for them on where they can hold their protest rally or programs,” he said.

“The two options are the traditional deployment or along the Commonwealth Avenue near Ever. This is what we do before but just like what we have observed for the past two SONAs 2016 and 2017 we let them occupy the nearest , 50 meters or 100 meters away from the Batasan Pambansam" he said.

Considering the traffic the protests will create, and other factors like MRT projects and other construction, Eleazar said the NCRPO is "analyzing what will be the best option that we will do but just the same we have been preparing for this for a few weeks now.

Eleazar said more than 6,000 policemen from the Quezon City Police District will be deployed to assure  security during SONA.

“Based on the recommendation of QCPD 6,000 plus will be deployed but we can always have augmentation coming from the neighboring police regional offices if needed,” he said.

Detoyato said the AFP will be committing around 600 personnel under the Joint Task Force National Capital Region .

“As of now, our main effort there is PNP, our committed unit is the JTF-NCR, around 600 men. JTF-NCR can be augmented by others depending on the needs of the PNP. JTF-NCR will be expanded there are forces that can join them coming from outside during the deployment,” he said. Robina Asido/DMS