WITH large crowds expected anew for the Nov. 30 “Trillion Peso March,” the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Wednesday it is rolling out one of its most extensive security operations this year—deploying more than 15,000 officers while emphasizing that the heightened presence is meant to ensure safety, not suppress dissent.
PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño said 15,097 personnel from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), Special Action Force, and nearby regional offices will be dispatched across key protest sites.
These include major convergence points such as the People Power Monument, EDSA Shrine, Mendiola, Ayala Bridge, and several streets leading to Malacañang.
Tuaño said organizers have secured permits for a rally along White Plains Avenue, with the local government and United People’s Initiative signing an agreement ensuring activities will remain peaceful and free of seditious content.
Learning from tense confrontations during the first Trillion Peso March last Sept. 21, Tuaño said more specialized teams—negotiation units, medical responders, monitoring groups, and arresting officers—will be on standby. “Mas marami tayong arresting officers para makapag-focus ang CDM sa crowd management,” he noted.
The NCRPO is currently on heightened alert and will shift to full alert on Nov. 28, requiring all personnel to report for duty. NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin said deployment levels may be adjusted based on real-time crowd behavior, stressing that the force aims for “flexible, rapid, and calibrated” responses.
“Police presence is not meant to suppress the rally but to protect the safety of participants, commuters, and bystanders,” Aberin said.
Joint operations with Quezon City’s Department of Public Order and Safety, the MMDA, and other agencies are also activated. Authorities will rely on real-time CCTV feeds and intensified social media monitoring amid a surge in online mobilization for the event.
The PNP reminded the public that while peaceful assembly is protected, acts amounting to rebellion, insurrection, sedition, or incitement remain punishable under Batas Pambansa 880 and the Revised Penal Code.
