No serious threat to Marcos' first SONA so far —PNP

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday said there is no credible or serious threat to the security of the first State of the Nation Address (SONA) of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on July 25.

PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said their intelligence team and other law enforcement agencies are continuously monitoring and validating information on possible attempts to disrupt the SONA.

“As of yesterday sa ating pagpupulong, wala pa po tayong nare-receive na any credible or serious threat pero ganun pa man hindi tayo nagkukumpiyansa,” he said in an interview on GMA News’ Unang Balita.

(As of yesterday in our meeting, we have not received any credible or serious threat yet, nevertheless we would not be complacent.)

Fajardo said the PNP is not considering implementing signal jamming during the SONA, which will be held at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.

The possible cutting of signals would depend on the security landscape and threat assessment on the day of the event, she said. The security team will recommend to the Presidential Security Group if there is a need for such a measure.

Gun ban

Meanwhile, the gun ban in Metro Manila in connection with the SONA took effect on Friday and will be in place until July 27.

Over 21,000 security forces will be deployed to secure Marcos' first SONA.

The deployment is composed of 16,964 from the National Capital Region Police Office, 1,905 from PNP support units, and 2,974 from coordinating agencies and other peacekeeping partners. —KBK, GMA News