QC says ‘Pink Sunday’ crowd violated protocols; Robredo camp ‘takes responsibility’, apologizes

The QC Memorial Circle was a teeming pink sea of VP Leni Robredo supporters, based on this drone shot. The Robredo camp said more than 20,000 attended the rally. Photo courtesy of Jonas Sergio

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City government said the 20,000 attendees of ‘Pink Caravan’ supporting the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo “violated” several restrictions, with the candidates’ camp taking responsibility and apologizing for the protocol lapse.

The local government, in a statement on Sunday, said the event in support of Robredo and her running mate Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan “resulted in a spillover crowd that violated several restrictions that were mutually agreed upon.”

“While crowd control is a highly complicated aspect of large gatherings, it is a test of discipline for the organizers and attendees to show that their chosen candidates observe the laws of the land,” the local government said.

The Quezon City government also reminded coordinators to  attend the local government’s pre-event coordination meetings, while strictly adhering to the agreements in the signed permits.

“We hope that in the future, all coordinators will take this responsibility more seriously,” they added.

Robredo’s camp, on the other hand, apologized for the incident in a statement.

“We acknowledge the concerns of the Quezon City Government, extend our thanks for its vigilance, and take full responsibility,” said Barry Gutierrez, spokesperson of Robredo.

“While the organizers ensured that access to the immediate vicinity of the program proper was limited, and that all attendees were advised to bring vaccination cards and observe health protocols, the sheer number of people that arrived was a challenge, for which we apologize. Rest assured the campaign is taking steps to ensure stricter compliance with all applicable regulations moving forward,” Gutierrez added.

More than 20,000 pink-clad supporters showed up for Robredo’s “People’s Proclamation Rally” for her presidential bid on Sunday, a number which she said was three times more than their initial projection of 5,000 attendees.

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