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Manila: Security forces have been placed on highest state of readiness ahead of President Gloria Arroyo's scheduled national address on Monday, the State of the Nation Address (Sona).
General Alexander Yano, chief of the armed forces, allayed fears of any untoward developments as he said placing the military on alert every time the President makes her national address is a "normal occurrence."
"That's a normal declaration for important events like the State of the Nation Address. There is nothing abnormal about it," Yano said.
Traditional address
Holding a Sona had been a tradition for Philippine heads of state. It is typically held during the first month of the second semester of the year to assess the goals met by the incumbent administration and to set the tone for next year's national objectives.
The Sona had been used by left-wing and other critical groups to lambast the incumbent government for its unachieved goals.
Arroyo is also expected to deliver her Sona at the House of Representatives complex in Quezon City's Batasan district. The event will be attended by national leaders as well members of the Congress's Lower and Upper Chamber.
Yano said that in addition to the thousands of uniformed personnel and anti-riot policemen deployed by the Philippine National Police, 3,000 soldiers would be on standby for any eventuality that may arise. He said they expect activists to mount demonstrations near the vicinity of the event in Quezon City.
In Manila, the capital city's Mayor Alfredo Lim said he had ordered a ban on demonstrations near the presidential palace, Malacanang. Lim, who headed of the Manila police during the late 1980s, said authorities will observe the usual "maximum tolerance" in dealing with the demonstrators.
Demonstrations during the Sona in the past had been marred by violent dispersal of protesters. Protest actions today are expected to be stormy as militant groups as well as transport organisations are expected to take part. The Philippines had been reeling from successive fuel pump price hikes.
According to Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Arroyo is expected to tackle in her Sona basic issues confronting Filipinos, particulary "food, agriculture, the economy."
- with inputs from Rafael Juan, Correspondent
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