Gov’t’s decision to ban rallies reeks of cowardice — militant groups

STOP THE HARASSMENT
In this file photo, protesters, led by Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes, call for a stop to the political persecution. INQUIRER file photo / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — The administration’s move to ban mass gatherings ahead of President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday reeks of cowardice, activist groups claimed on Friday.

According to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), the last-minute decision from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) intends to dissuade people from protesting against the policies of the Duterte administration.

News of DILG’s memorandum broke earlier, with National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas looking to hold a dialogue with protesters who are planning to stage movements on Duterte’s Sona.

Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes reminded the DILG and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) that their resolutions and memorandums are not immediate laws, that can impede on constitutionally-guaranteed rights.

“Ang obvious na intensyon ng DILG memo ay takutin ang mga LGU at mamamayan na huwag mag protesta. Napaka-desperado ng last minute memo na nilabas nila,” Reyes said in a message to reporters.

(The obvious intention of the DILG memo is to intimidate local governments and its people to avoid protesting.  This last minute memo is a very desperate move.)

“Paalala: Ang IATF guidelines ay hindi batas. Hindi ito mas mataas sa konstitusyon at hindi dapat gamitin para labagin ang saligang karapatan ng mamamayan.  No one should be arrested for the peaceful exercise of one’s constitutional rights,” he added.

(Remember, the IATF guidelines are not the law, these do not prevail over the Constitution and should not be made to use against the people’s rights.)

For rights group Karapatan, the DILG memo is proof that the administration is using the pandemic to stifle dissent, blaming protests for possible coronavirus transmissions when the government’s alleged incompetency is the reason for increasing COVID-19 cases.

“It’s not surprising that this inutile regime is using protests as convenient scapegoats for the ballooning number of COVID-19 cases to justify the banning of protests for SONA when in fact it has been the government’s lack of planning and continuing neglect of public health, […] that has caused the pandemic to spread,” Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay.

“The Duterte regime is shameless in using quarantine measures to crack down on dissent but we will not be deterred: we will join thousands in the streets on Monday, we will observe proper health protocols, and we will ring the people’s demands louder than ever,” she claimed.

Previously, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Archie Gamboa urged protesters to shift to an online protest as the ongoing health crisis requires physical distancing and avoidance of mass gatherings.

During the pandemic, at least three large protests have been held by groups — an indignation protest against the then Anti-Terrorism Bill, movements against ABS-CBN’s shutdown, and the June 12 protests, dubbed as a “Grand Mañanita.”

The mañanita was done in reference to the infamous gathering involving Sinas, where NCRPO personnel created a surprise party for him on the eve of his birthday, while people were disallowed from leaving their homes and buying liquor, while some were even arrested for violating distancing protocols.

However, Sinas has clarified that some of the photos were altered, saying that these were already old photos.

JPV