MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported that Independence Day celebrations and related protest activities across the country on Friday, June 12, are “generally peaceful and orderly.”
PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. said police units nationwide continue to monitor the situation on the ground.
“As of this hour, the localized demonstrations and public assemblies being held across the country in observance of Independence Day have remained completely peaceful and orderly, with no major untoward incidents reported,” Nartatez said in a statement on Friday.
The PNP earlier placed all police regional offices and national support units on full alert status for the observance of the 128th Philippine Independence Day.
Around 89,000 police personnel were deployed nationwide to secure commemorative activities, public assemblies, transportation hubs, tourist destinations and other areas expected to draw large crowds.
Nartatez earlier ordered all regional and local police units to maintain maximum visibility in protest and celebration areas and instructed personnel to exercise maximum tolerance and strictly observe established crowd-management protocols.
“I commend all commanders and personnel on the ground for the hard work in ensuring that our security plan was strictly followed. Your dedication and sacrifices once again translated to the protection and peace of mind of everybody,” said Nartatez.
The PNP assured continuous cooperation with local government units, event organizers, and other government agencies to sustain security coverage throughout the day.
“On this Independence Day, we were able to show once again that there’s really no conflict between the exercise of rights of the people and focusing on our peace and order mandate if we would just respect one another,” said Nartatez.
