AFP declares red alert in Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines - The military yesterday declared that they are on red alert in Metro Manila in preparation for President Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) tomorrow.

All troops elsewhere in the country, meanwhile, were put on blue alert.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Victor Ibrado and National Capital Region Command (NCRCOM) chief Maj. Gen. Leo Joggy Fojas led the mustering of troops yesterday morning at the AFP parade grounds in Camp Aguinaldo.

The NCRCOM’s 3,000 regular troops will be augmented by a company of Scout Rangers from Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

The NCRCOM has likewise mobilized a dozen armored personnel carriers (APCs) to go into military action if the need arises.

While most of the troops will remain inside military camps, a number will be deployed in so-called hotspots like the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City and other rally sites.

But Ibrado assured the public that there is no indication of any serious threat.

This is in contrast to an earlier pronouncement made by Fojas that some groups, including the Abu Sayyaf and the New People’s Army (NPA), could be plotting to disrupt the President’s SONA.

Human rights course

Civil disturbance management (CDM) personnel from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and other units of the Philippine National Police who will be deployed at rally areas during tomorrow’s SONA will undergo a crash course in human rights at the headquarters of the Quezon City Police District in Camp Karingal today.

According to PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa, the lectures will be held at the QCPD covered court in Camp Karingal under the auspices of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in cooperation with the PNP Human Rights Affairs Office (HRAO).

Verzosa expressed confidence on the competence of CDM units to protect and uphold the fundamental and inherent human rights of the public.

“This undertaking is a concrete manifestation of the PNP’s commitment to protect human rights. This lecture also sets to reinforce the knowledge of our CDM personnel, especially in situations dealing with the people’s exercise of freedom of expression and assembly,” Verzosa said.

The HRAO will distribute some 3,000 flyers on guidance for crowd control management to CDM personnel of NCRPO and augmentation troops from other police regional offices.

Earlier, the NCRPO created Task Force Kapayapaan to provide enhanced security measures, civil disturbance management, traffic management and control as well as other related administrative and operational activities to ensure order and security during the SONA.

Verzosa designated NCRPO regional director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales as Task Force Kapayapaan commander, with support and assistance from other PNP units and offices.

Rosales has assured groups that will hold protests tomorrow that the 10,000 policemen who will be deployed at rally sites will not be armed.

Rosales also belied reports that police sniper teams will be deployed in rally sites.

Meanwhile, the NCRPO will no longer push through with its plan to use blue-dyed water to spray on and mark unruly protestors.

Instead, Rosales said, the police will rely mostly on the 14 closed circuit television cameras that will be installed at the rally sites.

Rosales said that although he was given the go-signal to proceed with the plan by Commission on Human Rights chair Leila de Lima, he decided to scrap the plan after consulting with leaders of the protesting groups.

According to Rosales, rally organizers assured him that they will strictly police their ranks to prevent any violence. - With Mike Frialde