President Ferdinand Marcos will not stop protests to commemorate the 54th anniversary of the declaration of martial law on Monday, a Palace official said Friday as it urged various groups planning to join the rallies to avoid violence.

"The President is not preventing their gathering. Their freedom of expression will never be blocked by the President," Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a broadcast interview on Friday.

"What we only hope and pray for is that it does not become violent. And if things happened last year, hopefully they won't happen again, and the government is not preventing them from holding their protests," she added.

In preparation for the rallies that will be held by various groups on September 21, the Philippine National Police placed the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on full alert status starting Saturday.

Philippine National Police spokesperson Col. Allen Rae Co said 15,746 policemen will be deployed in different parts of Metro Manila to maintain the peace and order amid the rallies. Robina Asido/PHS