Transport groups are planning a three-day transport strike to coincide with the second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Malayang Alyansa ng Bus Employees at Laborers (MANIBELA) national president Mar Valbuena told radio DZBB that the strike will be held on July 24 to July 26.
Mr. Marcos will deliver his second SONA on July 24, a Monday.
Participants of the transport strike, the report said, will come from Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon.
MANIBELA, which has around 3,000 members, said groups from other provinces have expressed interest in joining the transport holiday.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police announced a 24-hour gun ban in three regions in the country to secure the President’s second SONA at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.
In an advisory, Police BGen. Leo Francisco, chief of the PNP Directorate for Operations, said the suspension of the Permit to Carry Firearms Outside Residence (PTCFOR) will be in effect from 12:01 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on the day of the SONA.
The gun ban will cover the entire Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Region IV-A or Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon).
“Only soldiers and policemen wearing uniform, especially those who would be deployed near the Batasang Pambansa are exempted from the gun ban,” BGen. Francisco said.
PNP earlier said it will deploy more than 22,000 policemen and augmentation forces to secure during the SONA, around 5,000 of which would be deployed near the Batasang Pambansa.
While it has yet to receive any report of security threats, the police said it continuously assesses all information it has been receiving about the event.