MANILA, Philippines – Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Oscar Albayalde on Monday urged the public to take extra precautions when joining Labor Day protest actions since agitators may join the rallies and initiate trouble.
Albayalde said some groups may even “sacrifice their own” just to inflict harm on innocent protesters.
“Let this be a warning sa ating mga kababayan na nagjo-join ng mga rally. Hindi po lahat ‘yan ay cause-oriented. Meron diyan na grupo na mag-i-instigate [ng gulo]. I am sure. Meron diyan na armado na nakatago (Let this be a warning to our countrymen who join rallies. Not all of it is cause-oriented. There are groups who will instigate commotion. I am sure. There might be somebody armed who will join the rallies and cause trouble),” he said in a press briefing.
When a commotion erupts, the militant groups will then blame government security forces, said Albayalde.
“Kaya po tayo nagbibigay babala sa publiko, sa mga gusto sumali sa rally na ganyan. It’s because ito ang gusto nila na may masaktan, na hindi sila [pero] may masaktan na iba. And then they will take advantage of that situation (That’s why we are warning the public, those who want to join rallies. Some troublemakers want other participants injured and then they will take advantage of the situation),” he added
According to militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno, around 100,000 laborers nationwide will take part in Labor Day protest actions on Wednesday.
Around 8,400 police officers will also be deployed to secure mass actions in Metro Manila. /gsg
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