By: Abraham Reign Magbiro
Photo: Daily Tribune File Photo
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said it is fully prepared for the “Trillion-Peso March” on Sunday, Nov. 30, vowing to maintain peace and order as thousands are expected to gather in Metro Manila to demand transparency in government spending amid growing budget controversies.
The mass action follows the initial protest on Sunday, Sept. 21 at Luneta Park and EDSA. Students, labor groups, and civil organizations joined the march to call for direct public access to government details.
NCRPO officials said around 15,000 police officers will be deployed across key protest areas to secure march routes, manage traffic, and respond to emergencies.
“In fact, we already have around 15,000 personnel that we will deploy, excluding reinforcements coming from different regions such as Region III, Region IV-A, and other nearby regions that will beef up the NCRPO if necessary,” said NCRPO Public Information Office Chief Maj. Hazel Asilo.
He also added that it will boost intelligence gathering and monitoring to avoid any possible riots during the rallies.
“Right now, we have intensified our monitoring, especially our intelligence gathering, our communication with our fellow allied agencies about what they are monitoring. And based on this, we are taking steps on how we can prevent or avoid the same incident that happened last September 21,” Asilo added.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Acting Chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. assured the public that police forces are already making extensive preparations for the nationwide rally.
According to Nartatez Jr., the police are concentrating on three key areas which are closely monitoring the movements of protest groups, reinforcing security barriers and surveillance systems in coordination with local government units (LGUs), and increasing personnel deployment across strategic locations.
“We know the rallyists coming from the Luneta Grandstand, the group coming from Liwasang Bonifacio, en route going to People Power Monument and the EDSA Shrine, we know that they will pass by Malacañang. That’s why we blocked, we put up barriers there,” he explained.
The upcoming Trillion-Peso March will mark the second major nationwide protest against alleged government corruption. Police data show that the previous rally held at the EDSA Shrine on September 21 drew more than 85,000 participants.