(FILE) Police officers in formation for the flag-raising ceremony at Camp Crame in Quezon City, April 23, 2018.
INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — More police personnel will be deployed to secure the inauguration of Vice President-elect Sara Duterte in Davao City on June 19, Sunday, although no “credible threats” are seen at this time, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Jean Fajardo said Wednesday.
Fajardo did not disclose the number of police personnel to be deployed but noted that the security will be tighter as President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte will be attending the event.
“That is correct, we expect that there are a lot of very important people in the inauguration of Vice President-elect Sara Duterte, this is the reason why we will deploy more police personnel in that area,” Fajardo said over ABS-CBN News Channel when asked if the PNP will be deploying more personnel.
The security will be more tight not only because of high-profile attendees but because of the two recent bombings that rocked the provinces near Davao City, said Fajardo.
“As of today, we have not received any credible or serious threats pertaining to the inaugural of Vice President-elect Sara Duterte,” the PNP’s spokesperson said.
“But nonetheless, the PNP and other law enforcement agencies [are] continuously conducting intelligence gathering as … we have recorded bombings in Region 12 and Region 9 which is proximate to the area where the inauguration of Vice President-elect Sara Duterte will be held,” she continued. “This is the reason why the security will be stricter to make sure that no incident of this nature will happen.”
It can be recalled that in May, there were explosions in Isabela City, Basilan and in Koronadal City, South Cotabato.
Duterte-Carpio will be sworn into office at the San Pedro Square in Davao City, where she is the outgoing mayor.
Duterte-Carpio won the 2022 presidential race with more than 32 million votes. Aside from being the Vice President, Duterte-Carpio will also be serving as secretary of education under the administration of her running mate Marcos Jr.