No problem with Duterte not meeting SONA protesters — militant leader

It’s for the best President Duterte would not go out to meet protesters after the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, a militant leader said.

“The circumstances today are very much different from last year,” Renato Reyes, Secretary General of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, said in a tweet on Saturday.

In his 2016 and 2017 SONA, Duterte faced protesters after he delivered his speech instead of going back to Malacañang.

But not this year, Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go reportedly said on Saturday.

Duterte was also reportedly advised not to do so since some members of the New People’s Army could harm him.

Protests on Monday would be “peaceful and well-organized,” Reyes said, adding it would be “just the same.”

Police Chief Senior Superintendent Oscar Albayalde, meanwhile, said in an ambush interview that they would deploy around 6,000 policemen to ensure safety during the SONA.