Four groups plan protests during Marcos' 5th Sona

MANILA, Philippines — Four groups are planning to stage protests during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona), the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said on Friday. “We’re still finalizing the allotted rally locations based on the permit that would be approved because we’re still knowing how many attendees they are expecting,” NCRPO spokesperson Maj. Hazel Asilo told reporters in a phone interview. “For now, we’ve monitored four groups that have requested permits from Quezon City,” she added. Asilo did not immediately identify which groups had made the applications for rally permits. The Sona is held annually every fourth Monday of July and serves as the president’s report on the country’s socioeconomic conditions. The Philippine National Police (PNP) previously said it was deploying more than 20,000 personnel for security measures during the Sona. “For now, we’re still ironing out the details of which roads to close, especially the surroundings of Batasang Pambansa, Edsa Shrine and other thoroughfares like Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon Avenue and Katipunan Avenue,” Asilo said.