Quezon City suspends classes on Monday for Marcos SONA

MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said on Thursday that classes in both public and private schools would be suspended on Monday as the local government will host the upcoming fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Batasang Pambansa Complex on July 27.Belmonte confirmed with The Manila Times via Viber about the city government's decision to suspend classes across the city in a bid to ease the expected heavy traffic and, at the same time, avoid disruptions caused by major road closures particularly near the House of Representatives.Asked if there would also be a suspension of work in City Hall, Belmonte said: "We are still deliberating based on inputs from our Law and Order Cluster plus our HR (Human Resource) office."Aside from uniformed personnel from the Quezon City Police District, the local government through the Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS) under the leadership of Elmo San Diego, a former QCPD director, and Traffic and Transport Management Department, is also expected to deploy personnel to ensure peace and order and manage traffic flow.Belmonte said that the city would remain an open city and would welcome people and groups from various sectors.Following the call for peaceful demonstrations, the local government also urged rallyists to secure rally permits.A city-wide liquor ban is also expected to be enforced from 12:01 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday.