THE Philippine National Police (PNP) will deploy 15,746 police personnel as part of security measures for the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law on Monday, September 21, 2026.
In a press conference, PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Allen Rae Co said 9,746 police personnel from the National Capital Region (NCR) and 6,000 augmentation forces from Central Luzon and Calabarzon will be deployed to maintain peace and order amid expected protest actions on Monday.
“All security personnel will not be carrying their firearms. Our body-worn cameras will be used for the said security operations, acting on the guidance of the President himself and the directive coming from the SILG (Secretary of the Interior and Local Government),” Co said.
“The PNP Chief has already given his instructions and reminders for all our personnel to exercise maximum tolerance at all times and all instances during the day of the expected protests,” he added.
He said the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) will be placed on full alert status beginning 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, September 19.
Co said no groups have yet applied for permits to hold protest actions on September 21.
“It’s automatic for people to gather in our freedom parks as long as they assemble peacefully. It’s automatic but subject to some limitations,” Co said in a mix of Tagalog and English.
Co said no threats have been monitored in relation to the event, but intelligence operations remain ongoing.
“The PNP respects everyone’s rights to peacefully assemble. This right is constitutionally protected. But what we want to remind the people is that, that constitutional protection ends when another person’s rights are violated,” Co said.
“The constitutional protection to assemble is lost if it endangers the safety and well-being of other people as well as the rights of others,” he added.
Co said police deployment will also be carried out in other urban areas across the country on Monday. /TPM