PNP chief: 12,000 cops for SONA not overkill

There is nothing wrong with deploying as many as 12,000 Philippine National Police personnel to secure today's State of the Nation Address (SONA), PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III said.

- By RAINIER ALLAN RONDA

His statement yesterday came after the progressive group Bayan described the deployment as "overkill."

Torre said that it was always good to be "prepared for the worst."

"We always respect the opinion of other people. We are just making sure. We always hope for the best but we are prepared for the worst," he told reporters.

Torre said he was open to visiting the picket lines of both pro- and anti-government protesters that turn out during the SONA each year.

"All of our kababayans deserved to be heard. We will always lend open ears to them," Torre said.

Complete failure

After failing to deliver "real gains" in his first three years, organized labor no longer expected anything in the remaining three years of the Marcos administration, not even in his SONA.

The Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) said President Marcos has not taken any action against contractualization and has ignored the call to raise wages above the poverty threshold.