PNP to invite CHR representatives to observe SONA rallies

The Philippine National Police on Thursday said it would be inviting representatives from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to observe the protesters during President Rodrigo Duterte's third State of the Nation Address.

A report on GMA News TV's Balitanghali quoted National Capital Region Police Office director Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar said he plans to invite 15 CHR representatives to tag along each of the sub-task groups that the PNP will be forming on July 23, to ensure the human rights of the protesters will be respected.

If the CHR would be unable to send more than a dozen of its personnel, even just a single member observing from the command center will do, Eleazar said.

Observing "best practices," Eleazar said the PNP would be deploying 6,000 police officers from the NCRPO, and, if needed, additional forces from the central Luzon and Calabarzon regional police offices.

The NCRPO will form five task groups for each districts, and seven supports task groups and 13 sub-task groups.

Eleazar also said it would be exercising maximum tolerance toward the protesters, an assurance that came after Duterte, in a speech over the weekend in Davao City, said he did not want to see rifles, except the authorities’ baton and your shield during the street protests along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

Eleazar said the PNP will not put container vans and lay barbed wires on the street, even as he said they have not yet received any intelligence report on any security threat.

In his speech, Duterte earlier said: "I'm not asking you to die. Just retreat, retreat and retreat."

The President also invited his critics to join the rallies and exercise their constitutional right to free expression.

"I will declare the next two days as bakasyon time so that all the people can go there during the SONA and mag demonstrate kayo dun," he added.

Duterte will deliver his third report to the nation before a joint session of Congress on July 23, amid criticisms over his human rights record, policy on the South China Sea, rising commodity prices, and stalled peace negotiations with the communist rebels. — MDM, GMA News