NCRPO holds crowd control contest for SONA

MANILA, Philippines - The National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) stepped up its security preparations for President Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27 with a crowd control competition at the Quirino Granstand yesterday, won by the Southern Police District (SPD).

“Constant practice makes us perfect,” said NCRPO director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales, stressing that yesterday’s competition was the culmination of their SONA security preparations.

The anti-crowd disturbance teams of the five police districts and the Regional Mobile Group have been practicing their security preparations the past few days and Rosales claimed all the loopholes were addressed in yesterday’s competition.

Barely a week before the SONA, Rosales declared that they are ready for anything that may happen during the protest rally the opposition and militant groups are set to stage on July 27.

Commission on Human Rights chairwoman Leila de Lima, the event’s guest speaker, said protesters have all the right to air their grievances against the Arroyo administration and the police should use calibrated response in dealing with the rallyists.

She said the police and the protestors should exhaust all means to prevent violence from erupting during the SONA rally. While the police have their CDM competition, De Lima said rally organizers are also prepared for the event.

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has issued a permit for a rally at the corner of Gotesco and Commonwealth Avenues.

Belmonte and NCRPO officials, led by Rosales, will meet with rally organizers on Wednesday to thresh out the mechanics of the protest rally.

Belmonte wants the rallyists to police their ranks and prevent their members from destroying private and public property and vandalizing walls.

The SPD anti-riot team won by an aggregate score of 93 percent and was closely followed by the Regional Mobile Group (RMG) and the Quezon City Police District (QCPD).

Rosales handed out a trophy and P30,000 to SPD director Chief Superintendent Jaime Calungsud.

Senior Superintendent Alfred Corpus, RMG commander, received the P20,000 for his team while QCPD director Chief Superintendent Elmo San Diego’s team took home P10,000. The Eastern, Northern and Manila police districts received P5,000 each. – Non Alquitran