THE Philippine National Police (PNP) will deploy at least 15,000 police personnel to ensure the peace and order and the safety of the participants during the scheduled anti-corruption protests on November 30, 2025.
PNP acting chief Police Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. assured on Friday, November 28, the deployment of a stronger security contingent for the November 30 protest actions dubbed “Trillion Peso March” to maintain a peaceful, orderly, and free from attempts to incite violence or disrupt public safety.
“The deployment is not about intimidation, it's about readiness. We expect a large number of crowds in multiple activity areas so our personnel on the ground should be quick in responding to emergencies and even any violation of the law,” said Nartatez.
“Let me be clear that law enforcement presence does not mean aggressive action. The order for maximum tolerance still remains,” he added.
Around 8,800 police personnel from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and 6,200 police personnel from the Special Action Force (SAF) and regional police offices will be deployed for the planned protests.
Major deployment areas include Luneta Park, People Power Monument, Edsa Shrine, sites around Malacañang, as well as the House of Representatives, Senate, and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure in Taguig.
Nartatez said that while there were no specific or credible threats detected so far, proactive measures remain necessary.
He said the PNP is also gearing up for possible infiltration attempts by groups seeking to cause unrest, similar to what happened during the September 21 rally in Manila when several groups of protesters attacked policemen and later tried to lay siege in Malacañan Palace.
“May ganitong considerations lagi sa malalaking gatherings. Naka-focus ang intelligence monitoring natin sa potential agitators. Rest assured, we are coordinating closely with other agencies to prevent any attempt to hijack the peaceful intent of the rally,” Nartatez said.
To bolster transparency and accountability, Nartatez directed police ground commanders to finalize security coordination with protest organizers and partner agencies, require the use of body-worn cameras in all police engagements, and deploy human rights affairs officers across the activity areas.
“Gusto naming iparating sa publiko na the PNP is here to protect, hindi para manghadlang (We want to convey to the public that the PNP is here to protect, not to hinder),” the top cop said.
“Ang deployment po ay para masiguro ang kaligtasan ng lahat, protesters man o hindi (The deployment is to ensure everyone’s safety, whether they are protesters or not). We fully respect the people’s right to peaceful assembly, and our commitment is to provide a safe, orderly, and secure environment for everyone on November 30,” he added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)