PNP sets up security measures at Batasan ahead of SONA

Among the security measures being put in place for President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) next month is a PNP mobile command center that will patrol the Batasang Pambansa Complex, Mark Salazar reported Thursday on “24 Oras.”

Shown inside the mobile center is a military-grade police drone capable of jamming signals and attacking unknown drones. 

“Once that we declare the area as a 'no-drone' and 'no-fly' zone it should be followed because drones nowadays have so many capabilities. Pwedeng ma-attach-an ‘yan ng explosives or whatsoever [Explosives can be attached to them],” said National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Chief Police Major General Edgar Alan Okubo.

Okubo further said the PNP drone has a facial recognition feature.

“It has facial recognition that can be immediately fed into our computers and based on our data na mukha ng mga wanted o prominent personalities, magma-match agad ‘yan [that can find matches from our data of wanted or prominent individuals],” he said.

“We’ll try it on the SONA. Ihabol namin ang database diyan. Kung ma-connect namin yung database ng DIDM [Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management] at national police clearance system namin, kasi may faces doon ng lahat ng kumuha ng police clearance. It will also connect at record ng Interpol,” Okubo added.

(We’ll try it on the SONA. We’ll try to connect the DIDM and the national police clearance system database. It will also connect to the records of Interpol.)

The police said the device will be used for monitoring and not for profiling or red-tagging progressive groups expected to stage rallies during the SONA.

“There will be no profiling, of course. This is just for the monitoring of this event and for assisting and deciding the immediate actions, kung ano kailangang natin [whatever we need],” Okubo said. — Sundy Locus/BM, GMA Integrated News