MANILA, Philippines — National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar on Monday discouraged protesters from wearing jackets and bags as part of the efforts to prevent possible bombings during President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 22. While there is no terror threat being monitored for Duterte’s fourth Sona, Eleazar noted previous cases where terrorists carried improvised explosive devices inside their jackets or bags. ADVERTISEMENT“Nirerequest natin sa kanila ang madiscourage na magdala ng bags at jacket, mas maganda kung madidiscourage (We are discouraging them from carrying bags and jackets. We will bring this out during the stakeholders’ dialogue on Wednesday,” he told reporters in a chance interview at Camp Crame. Eleazar, however, clarified that the NCRPO cannot forbid Sona protesters, estimated to be around 15,000, from carrying bags and jackets during rallies, since not everyone can be checked by the police anyway.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 15, 2019 04:18 UTC