MANILA: The Philippine National Police (PNP) is on alert for possible protests marking the first year of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s detention at the International Criminal Court (ICC) this coming Wednesday (March 11).
“We are closely monitoring developments and coordinating with local units to ensure public safety,” PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement on Monday (March 9).
“While we respect the right to peaceful assembly, we also have the mandate to ensure that there will be no incident that will disrupt normal activities and threaten peace and order,” he added.
The top cop said the PNP was monitoring social media posts allegedly calling for a motorcade rally from Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) to Villamor Airbase, but he did not immediately specify which posts the agency was looking into or which groups had posted them.
Nonetheless, Nartatez said he had ordered the deployment of more police officers along Edsa, near Villamor Airbase and Davao City ahead of the anniversary.
In his statement, the PNP chief reminded police officers to exercise maximum tolerance and appealed to possible protest participants to follow the authorities.
Duterte was arrested by Philippine authorities and turned over to the ICC on March 11, 2025 to face allegations of crimes against humanity in connection with bloody war on drugs, which killed thousands of Filipinos. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
