THE National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has started security preparations for President Rodrigo Roa Duterte's last State of the Nation Address (SONA), said the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Saturday.'Palapit nang palapit ang SONA ng ating Pangulo at batid ng inyong PNP ang matinding interes ng ating mga kababayan sa kanyang mensahe kaya naman patuloy ang aming paghahanda para dito (Our President's SONA is getting closer and closer and your PNP is aware of the intense interest of our countrymen in his message so we continue to prepare for it),' said PNP Chief Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar in a statement.'Naging tahimik at maayos ang mga nakalipas na SONA ng ating Pangulo at ito ang nagsisilbing template ng inyong kapulisan sa darating na Hulyo 26, kabilang ang maayos na pakikipag-usap sa lahat ng grupo (Our President's last SONA was quiet and orderly and this serves as the template of your police on the coming July 26, including proper communication with all groups),' he added.The PNP claimed that Eleazar was instrumental in ensuring zero casualties and zero incidents during Duterte's SONA in 2016 and 2017 as Task Group Quezon Commander and as NCRPO director and head of the Security Task Force SONA in 2018 and 2019.He served as the commander of the Joint Task Force Covid Shield during Duterte's 5th SONA last year.It was Eleazar who initiated the removal of container vans and other barricades, arguing that their presence only invited aggressiveness on the part of the protesters. Instead, he pushed for dialogues with various groups.Eleazar stressed that the police are also coordinating with other offices and stakeholders to determine the setup of Duterte's last SONA, given the ongoing pandemic in the country.He also urged groups planning to hold mass actions to reconsider and conduct their activities online to avoid contracting the Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).'We encourage these groups planning to conduct mass actions to coordinate their activities with the PNP. Pero mas makabubuti sana kung gawin na lamang nilang virtual ang kanilang mga activities para na din sa kaligtasan ng lahat mula sa Covid-19 lalo na't nakapasok na sa ating bansa ang mas nakahahawang Delta variant (But it would have been better if they made their activities virtual for the safety of everyone against Covid-19, especially since the more contagious Delta variant has already entered our country),' he said.He said that no security threat has been monitored for Duterte's SONA on July 26, 2021.He also said that the police force will be on full alert and enough policemen will be deployed to avoid any untoward incidents.#SONA2021
