Five thousand National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) personnel will be deployed in the affected areas in Metro Manila, for the Iglesia Ni Cristo’s (INC) national rally for peace on Monday, January 13.
In an exclusive interview on Sunday, the NCRPO OIC for the Regional Public Information Office PMAJ. Myrna Diploma stated that all police officers and personnel are prepared to commence their operations on Monday, to ensure a peaceful, safe, and successful national rally for peace. Additionally, Diploma mentioned that they are already on the lookout, as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) stated that they are expecting attendees to arrive in Manila, as early as Sunday evening.
Aside from monitoring parking areas, the NCRPO will focus on crowd control and security in various areas, anti-criminality operations, and emergency response.
“Magsisimula ang kanilang event from 7 A.M. onwards. Nasa 5,000 NCRPO personnel will be deployed para magbigay ng seguridad sa lugar, parking area, route, road closure, crowd control, [at] siguraduhin na walang insidente o casualty, direction and control ng traffic sa lahat ng places of convergence at emergency response if needed,” Diploma said.
“Katuwang po ang ang ibang government agencies at Manila local government unit (LGU), at ganun din po ang Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC),” she added.
The NCRPO’s focus
Moreover, Diploma said they coordinated with the MMDA to ensure an overall peaceful activity for tomorrow. Personnel will also be monitoring designated parking areas, as they highly discourage double parking to lessen traffic.
“Napagkasunduan with the MMDA na may designated parking area na ibinigay ang MMDA sa mga dadalo na INC. Ang rinig ko is sa may [Quirino] Grandstand, sa may bandang likod po sa may Rizal Park meron din doon,” she said.
People may check the MMDA’s social media announcements for road closures and alternative routes on Monday. However, the public is encouraged to reschedule appointments in nearby areas on Monday, if possible.
“At yung mga road closure naman po, mag-antabay po ang ating mga kababayan, tumingin po sa mga social media announcement para po maiwasan nila [yung traffic]. At mas maigi po, kung wala naman po silang importanteng lalakarin sa mga parteng ‘yan ng Maynila ay huwag na po pumunta dyan. I-reschedule na lang po natin ang mga lakad natin kung pwedeng iresechedule po,” she suggested.
No Threats Monitored
The timing of the peace rally coincided with the end of Traslacion. Due to that, possible threats and challenges may arise, as personnel have been constantly monitoring public places. However, Diploma assured that there are no security threats monitored at the moment. Despite this, they would still be on heightened alert for any threats that may come.
“Tama po kayo, tuloy-tuloy po ang deployment ng PNP [at] NCRPO [noong] Trasclacion. Ngayon po ay ang ating nationwide COMELEC checkpoint na nag start kagabi, 12:01 A.M. Ngayon naman po bukas, ang national rally for peace. Pero sa kasalukuyan, wala tayong namomonitor na security threat dito sa Metro Manila. Ngunit ang inyong NCRPO ay lagi naman pong naka alerto at nakahanda sa anumang banta,” she said.
“Ang heightened alert natin ay tuloy-tuloy po. Tulad nga po ng nabanggit ko kanina, dahil tuloy-tuloy din po ang deployment natin, hanggang eleksyon na po ito,” she added.
Around 1M People May Attend
“Inaasahan na mamayang gabi, ay meron na pong mga kapatid sa INC na pupunta na po sa Quirino Grandstand para kinaumagahan ay nandyan na po sila,” she continued.
With the expected high volume of attendees on Monday, Diploma said some may travel as early as Sunday evening for the rally. The NCRPO also estimates that around one million individuals may attend the peace rally.
“Inaasahan nga na isang milyon ang dadalo sa rally. Gayon din po sa amin po, tama ang MMDA, same lang din sa NCRPO,” she said.
To ensure everyone’s safety, Diploma urged attendees to follow the rules that were implemented by the authorities.
“On behalf of our acting Regional Director PBGen. Anthony A. Aberin sa mga dadalo, patuloy tayong sumunod sa mga alituntunin para sa isang mapayapa, maayos at matagumpay na national rally for peace,” she said.
“Sa mga motorista naman po, alamin at sumunod sa mga traffic advisory ukol sa mga road closures and rerouting, upang makaiwas po tayo sa traffic,” she ended.
