Police forces in the capital will enter a heightened security posture starting Friday midnight, with over 15,000 personnel deploying across key vantage points in Metro Manila ahead of mass demonstrations marking the 54th anniversary of the 1972 Martial Law declaration on Monday.
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) confirmed that its units will officially go on full alert status at 12:01 a.m. on Friday to oversee security preparations, with personnel deployments starting Saturday.
NCRPO spokesperson Lt. Col. Hazel Asilo stated that law enforcement will maintain tight surveillance on strategic sites, including the Recto-Mendiola corridor, the United States Embassy, Liwasang Bonifacio, Luneta Park, the People Power Monument, the EDSA Shrine, as well as the grounds of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
While local government units have not yet received formal permit applications for mass actions, authorities are acting on raw intelligence indicating planned mobilizations.
“But we have intelligence reports (that some groups will hold protests) which are not yet confirmed. We cannot yet give specific groups planning to hold activities on September 21,” Asilo said.
The substantial police presence, totaling 15,227 personnel, represents a jump of roughly 5,000 officers compared to last year’s draft of 10,237. The decision follows violent clashes during last year’s September 21 rally along Mendiola, which resulted in 151 injured police officers.
“We’re deploying more policemen (this year) to avoid a repeat of the incident (last year)… We want to avoid a similar situation to what occurred last year,” said Asilo. She added that troops will be distributed across various operational tasks, including checkpoint monitoring, border controls and routine anti-crime patrols.
Although no specific, validated security threat has been identified for Monday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) emphasized that the massive deployment aims to balance constitutional freedoms with public safety.
PNP spokesman Col. Allen Rae Co underscored that while the right to peaceably assemble is recognized, public order remains paramount.
“Their constitutional right ends if they (protesters) endanger the safety and well-being of other people, the rights of others,” Co stated.
“We do not see any specific threat as of now, but we are continuously monitoring the situation. If we receive such information, we will immediately verify, validate, and act if we need to,” Co added.