Nationwide gun ban imposed for Marcos’ SONA on July 22

A nationwide gun ban will be imposed nationwide on July 22 to secure the conduct of the third State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

In an advisory, the Permit to Carry Firearms Outside of Residence (PTCFOR) Secretariat said that PTCFORs will be suspended from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m on July 22.

“The suspension is a precautionary measure to ensure public safety and security during the event,” the PTCFOR Secretariat said.

Around 22,000 police personnel will be deployed to secure the SONA, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said.

“Ang nakikita po natin last time po mga 22,000 na-deploy, ganun pa rin po. Unless we see may mga threats po, there will be more,” PNP chief Police General Rommel Marbil said.

(What we saw last time was about 22,000 deployed, it's still the same. Unless we see some threats, there will be more deployment.)

“Right now, we don't see any threats but ang sinasabi ko, go signal ko, of course, you have to see yung inconvenience (but what I am saying is we should look at possible inconveniences),” he added.

Progressive groups will march and engage in protest activities during Marcos’ SONA, according to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).

Marbil said the PNP will provide maximum tolerance to the protesters but he appealed to them to make sure not to cause any inconveniences to the public.

Marcos earlier instructed the House of Representatives to accommodate everyone who wants to attend the SONA.

“I had a chit-chat with the President yesterday and I said there are a lot of people who would like to attend this SONA this July 22nd. And he said to me, 'Accommodate all of them,'” House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said.

He said more than 2,000 individuals from the government, the private sector, and non-government organizations have signified their desire to attend the SONA.

With the seating capacity of the session hall limited to 2,000, the House of Representatives will add seats in and open several function rooms to accommodate additional guests.

As a security measure, the Batasang Pambansa will be locked down starting July 19, the Friday before the SONA. —RF, GMA Integrated News