Special military, police forces to protect Duterte, VIPs

The House of Representatives is ready to host President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) before the joint session of Congress at the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City on Monday.

House secretary general Cesar Pareja and sergeant-at-arms Roland Detabali said security forces were ready to protect the President, congressmen and about 3,000 invited guests.

“We have held numerous interagency meetings, plannings and rehearsals to ensure the safety of our President, the VIPs, the guests and other personnel, considering all possible scenarios from bombings to fires, chemical attack, etc.,” Detabali said in a press conference on Friday.

Final BBL draft

Pareja said that Mr. Duterte, during the time allotted for his Sona, would sign the final draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), assuming this would be approved by both houses of Congress in the morning.

“That was the plan conveyed to us,” Pareja said.

Detabali declined to state the exact number of soldiers and policemen to be deployed.

Some of the special units that would field personnel include the Joint Special Operations Group, the Philippine Army’s Light Reaction Regiment, the Philippine Navy’s Special Naval Operation Group, and police Special Action Forces.

Charter change, federalism and illegal drugs will likely be the main theme of the President’s Sona, according to senators.

Nation’s ills

Sen. Sonny Angara said he expected Mr. Duterte to talk “a bit” about the bills he had signed into law, including free tuition, school feeding, antihazing and free irrigation.

Opposition Sen. Francis Pangilinan said he hoped the President would make a clear statement to the people about solutions to the nation’s ills.

“We hope he can tell the people how he will solve the problems of rising prices of goods, how people’s earnings will rise, how to give jobs to the people,” Pangilinan said.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a fierce critic of Mr. Duterte, expects the President to “rant and lie to the Filipino people like he always does.”