PNP braces for rallies

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has placed on full alert its troops in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu in anticipation of the scheduled anti-constituent assembly (con-ass) nationwide rallies this coming week. The rest of the country’s police force is now on heightened alert.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the Catholic charismatic group El Shaddai of Bro. Mike Velarde announced that they will hold prayer rallies against the proposed move to amend the 1987 Constitution initiated in the House of Representatives.

The CBCP and the El Shaddai’s pronouncement is expected to draw other sectors, including leftist and transport groups, to join the street protests.

Bro. Eddie Villanueva of the Jesus Is Lord (JIL) movement has already issued a call for his members to join tomorrow’s prayer rally.

In response to this, the PNP-National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) assembled yesterday 2,000 of its anti-riot policemen for deployment in Metro Manila.

Aside from this, the PNP leadership is bringing in troop reinforcements from Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon to NCR.

"We are bringing in policemen from Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon to perform anti-riot duties in Metro Manila beginning Monday," said PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao.

Pagdilao explained that raising the alert level was primarily aimed at preventing any untoward incidents in any of the rallies.

"We, in the PNP leadership, are also calling on our countrymen to keep their ranks in check for a peaceful protest rally," Pagdilao urged rally organizers and its leaders.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines-National Capital Region (NCRCOM) is also deploying 300 military troops in Metro Manila to support the PNP.

All of the five police districts in Metro Manila were also ordered to assemble 300 policemen each, and district commanders are also under orders make ready all their tactical combat forces.

The police tactical combat force includes the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and elements of the Special Action Force (SAF).

"We are exerting efforts to reach out to rally organizers and leaders to set ground rules for the rally. We are doing this to avoid any untoward incident," NCRPO spokesman Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said.

In Metro Cebu, both the police and military in the area will remain under full alert despite the postponement of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.

Some 6,000 policemen and 5,500 military troops have been dispatched to the province to secure the international event and its foreign and local delegates.

Cruz, however, noted that that with the House backtracking a little from its con-ass stand, he expects the scheduled rally to also mellow down.

"We expect the scheduled rally will mellow down because of the recent political development at the House of Representatives," Cruz said.

Initially, Cruz said the police expect an initial 100,000 rallyists to join the protest in Metro Manila.

As this developed, a transport group leader, announced yesterday that his group would be joining tomorrow’s rally.

George San Mateo, spokesman of the Pinag-isang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON), told reporters in a telephone interview that their group is committed to support the scheduled nationwide protest rally against the con-ass being pushed by pro-administration congressmen.

"We also expect other transport groups to join," San Mateo said. — Jaime Laude