15K PNP personnel securing 40th EDSA People Power anniversary

By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan, Philippine News Agency

COMMAND CENTER. Police conduct real-time monitoring of the situation at the People Power Monument near White Plains in Quezon City on Wednesday (Feb. 25, 2026), during the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution. Nearly 15,000 police personnel were deployed to secure the activities marking the occasion, including the third Trillion Peso March. (Photo: Philippine National Police/Facebook)

MANILA – Some 14,900 police personnel were deployed to secure Wednesday’s 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said.

Brig. Gen. Ponce Rogelio Peñones, newly appointed PNP director for operations, said around 40,000 people are expected to attend activities marking the event.

Speaking at a press briefing in Camp Crame, Peñones said the deployment aims to prevent “agitators” from causing unrest.

“Ang binabantayan lang natin dito, ‘yung ibang grupo na, sabi ko nga, nag-aagitate para magkaroon ng kaguluhan. Ito ‘yung focus ng ating deployment (What we are really monitoring here are the groups that may agitate the other so that there will be chaos. That is the focus of our deployment),” he said.

Police earlier said only Trillion Peso March Movement, Tindig Pilipinas, and Siklab were granted rally permits by the Quezon City government along White Plains Avenue near the People Power Monument.

“Alam kong maraming nag-apply. Pero ‘yung iba, hindi naaprubahan sa kadahilanan, ang sinasabi ng ibang local government units natin, nagkaroon sila ng violations doon sa mga previous permits (I know many applied for permits. But the others were not approved because, according to some of our local government units, they had violations in their previous permits),” Peñones said.

Peñones added that PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. ordered officers to exercise maximum tolerance toward groups without permits.

“Mayroon naman tayong negotiations on the ground… Hindi naman porket wala kang permit, papaalisin ka agad (We have negotiations on the ground… Just because you don’t have a permit doesn’t mean you will dispersed immediately),” he said.

In a separate interview, Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, said burning effigies during the Trillion Peso March rally will not be allowed.

“Definitely, we will not allow them to burn effigies as they will violate local ordinances as well as our laws,” he said.

Aberin inspected deployed personnel at the EDSA Shrine, People Power Monument, the Advance Command Post, and EDSA southbound to ensure security measures were properly implemented.

Outside Metro Manila, Police Regional Offices nationwide were ordered to mobilize sufficient personnel to monitor pocket protests in identified locations.