MANILA, Philippines – The National Capital Region Police Office recorded only a single robbery incident in Metro Manila during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Aquino on Monday.
Reports reaching the NCRPO showed that the victim, Charmaine Ramos was robbed by a suspect on board a taxi along Visayas Avenue, in Quezon City at about 1 p.m.
“Our records showed that the Ramos incident was the only incident in our police blotters from 6 a.m. up to 4 p.m. at the height of President Aquino’s SONA,” said NCRPO chief Director Roberto Rosales.
Rosales credited the low crime incidents in Metro Manila Monday to the high expectations of residents to the SONA of Aquino.
“Metro Manilans were glued on their TV sets as they were excited over the SONA speech of President Aquino. Even criminals stayed home to monitor the event,” said Rosales as he likened Aquino’s SONA to the boxing bouts of Filipino pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao where the crime rate was at its lowest ebb.
The NCRPO did not use barb wires and container vans in preventing rallyists from marching to the Batasan Pambansa, where Aquino spoke before members of both Houses of Congress.
As early as 4 a.m. Monday, the almost 4,500 Task Group “SONA” of the NCRPO were already in place, assigned from the Batasan-San Mateo Road toward the entire stretch of Commonwealth Avenue to the Quezon City Memorial Circle.
The security deployment consists of police elements from NCRPO and from the different Police Regional Offices (PROs, 1, 3, 4A, 5 and Cordillera), with augmentation from the AFP National Capital Region Command (NCRCOM).