City police to deploy teams to monitor SONA assemblies
The Iloilo City Police Office will deploy a platoon of its Civil Disturbance Management team and will put another platoon on stand-by as reserve force to monitor mass actions for the President Benigno Simeon Aquino III’s first state of the nation address today.
The Traffic Management and Engineering Unit was also briefed on their role for today’s event.
ICPO acting chief, Senior Supt. Dennis Basngi, said one group asked for a permit for their mass action today.
“According to them, they would just occupy half of the lane before they would have a program at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol grounds,” Basngi said.
The group said about a thousand of them will gather, he said.
However, Basngi said he received information that the group is yet to secure the nod of the Iloilo Provincial Capitol for them to hold their program in the area.
If they can secure a permit from the Capitol, Basngi said the group could not hold their program on the street because that will violate their agreement when he endorsed their permit to hold a rally.
“They could not be stationary at a certain area because their permit states that they would just pass by. They assured me that they would police their own ranks,” he said.
If it will reach a point that the rally would turn into a street anarchy, Basngi said he might be forced to disperse the rally.
“But personally, I don’t expect that it would reach that point,” he added.
Basngi said he trusts that the militant leaders would be responsible enough to keep watch over their members.
In Metro Manila, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said it will deploy some 1,000 traffic enforcers to man the traffic in all major thoroughfares as well as secondary roads surrounding the Batasan Pambansa complex in Quezon City where Aquino will deliver his SONA.
MMDA Chairman Oscar Inocentes Inocentes said the dispatch will start as early as 6 a.m. to guarantee unimpeded travel going to and from the Batasan Pambansa area, especially for the public who wish to witness the event live.
“I have instructed all our enforcers to make sure that there will be no traffic obstructions on all major roads in Metro Manila, particularly those leading to the Batasan Pambansa,” the MMDA chief said.
MMDA Traffic and Transport Management Office Executive Director Angelito Vergel De Dios said the agency will also put in effect legitimate counter flows on select roads within the Batasan to decongest the expected heavy vehicular volume in the area.
The Philippine National Police said it will deploy some 8,000 personnel during the SONA. with reports from PNA
