NCRPO: 4 groups applied for rally permits on Marcos' SONA 2026

At least four groups have applied for permits to launch rallies in Quezon City during President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27 at the Batasang Pambansa.

According to a report by Carlo Mateo on Super Radyo dzBB, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) learned about the development from the Quezon City government.

NCRPO spokesperson Police Major Hazel Asilo said the police still cannot reveal the groups which have declared their intent to conduct the protest activities on the day of the SONA.

Asilo added that police are firming up plans regarding which roads will be closed, and the alternate routes that motorists can use when security protocols take effect for the event.

The report said traffic management and security plans are being prepared for areas including the periphery of Batasang Pambansa, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon Avenue, Katipunan Avenue, and the EDSA Shrine where rallies have been staged by various groups in recent months.

To date, some 20,000 personnel from the NCRPO, support units, and other agencies are being considered to be tapped to provide security, the report said.

The House of Representatives, which holds office at the Batasan Pambansa Complex, hosted on June 9 the first SONA Inter-agency Coordination Meeting for Marcos' 2026 address.

House officials expressed the need to keep the SONA "simple but dignified," saying there will be no red carpet, no long gowns" during the affair.

The SONA is the annual report of the President of the Philippines to Congress, delivered every fourth Monday of July. This year, the SONA will be held on July 27.

It serves both as a constitutional obligation and a political event, during which the President reports on the country's condition and outlines the administration's priorities and agenda for the coming year.

The SONA is mandated under Article VII Section 23 of the 1987 Constitution, which states: "The President shall address the Congress at the opening of its regular session." — VDV, GMA News