(Eagle News) — The Philippine National Police will deploy 15,000 policemen as part of security measures for President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 26.
According to PNP Chief Guillermo Eleazar, the PNP took into consideration the COVID-19 pandemic in planning for the SONA, which is Duterte’s last as President of the Philippines.
His term will end in 2022.
The National Capital Region Police Office has said it will use body-worn cameras to help monitor the movements of suspicious persons who may be planning to disrupt the SONA.
The PNP said, so far, it has not monitored any threat.
Eleazar urged those planning to hold any activity in time for the SONA to hold this virtually instead.
In making the call, the PNP chief noted the local transmission of the Delta variant in the Philippines, which the Department of Health itself has already confirmed.
Earlier, the DOH said 12 more local Delta variant cases were detected in the Philippines.
Of these, three were in Metro Manila.
The additional 12 local Delta variant cases, the DOH said, pushed the total Delta variant cases detected in the Philippines to 47.
“Sa ilan nating mga kababayan na patuloy pa ring nagpa-plano para sa isang rally, nagpapa-alala ang inyong PNP na lubha pang delikado ang ganitong klaseng pagtitipon lalo na at may kumpirmasyon na ng local transmission ng Delta variant ng COVID-19. Mas ligtas na makinig at manood na lang tayo ng SONA sa ating mga tahanan,” Eleazar said.
