Protesters troop to the House of Representatives in Quezon City on February 28, 2024, to call on the members of the lower chamber to pass a bill increasing the daily minimum wage of private workers. Photo from Gabriela Women’s Party.
MANILA, Philippines — Protesters marching to the House of Representatives in Quezon City (QC) on Wednesday appealed to the leadership of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and QC Mayor Joy Belmonte to act on police officers’ harassment of protesters in the city.
The activist groups claimed they were blocked and dispersed by police in riot gear while they were gearing up to stage a protest at the South Gate of the House of Representatives to call for the immediate passage of the wage hike bill for private sector workers.
READ: FFW: P350 wage hike to give workers purchasing power, benefit MSMEs
According to the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, who was part of the protest, they were halted by police before they could even reach the House of Representatives.
“Before the protest could even start, the police dispersed them away from the Batasan gate and blocked their return,” the group said in a statement.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) called on Belmonte to act on the alleged harassment from police who, KMU said, stifled their rights to participate in the public discussion of wages.
“@QCMayorJoy, you have said that this kind of usurpation of rights is not welcome in our city. We look forward to your office’s prompt response!” the group’s post read.
Payapa ang pagtitipon naming mga manggagawa ngayong araw. Karapatan naming magpahayag at magprotesta dahil kapakanan namin ang tatalakayin sa pagdinig. Karapatan namin ang dagdag-sahod. pic.twitter.com/KimzZqyoyM
— Kilusang Mayo Uno (@kilusangmayouno) February 28, 2024
Nagkaisa, in the same statement, also appealed to the PNP and QC’s local government unit, saying that the “abuse” shows a “lack of respect for freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.”
Photos taken of the incident show protestors pushing and arguing with police officers who were blocking them with riot shields.
Over an hour after the incident, Nagkaisa’s Sonny Matula told INQUIRER.net that the police eventually allowed them to hold a brief program.
READ: PUP students hurt in police dispersal
Not the first time
According to the protesters, this is not the first time that the QC police forcibly dispersed demonstrators, pointing out that a similar yet more violent incident occurred two weeks prior involving students.
On February 13, students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines who were holding a rally also in front of the House of Representatives, reported that they were hurt by police who tried to disperse them using shields and batons.
Following this incident, Mayor Belmonte said that she would have the matter investigated and that she “will not countenance any suppression of fundamental rights in Quezon City.”
A similar incident occurred on January 31, also in front of the House of Representatives, when members of the transport group Piston were blocked by police in riot gear.
READ: Transport group hits ‘police harassment’ during QC protest
This also prompted the QC mayor to apologize, saying that the local government did not order the police’s actions.
“Mayor Joy’s office at the city hall is open for anyone who wants to have a dialogue with her,” Belmonte previously posted on X.
INQUIRER.net has reached out to the QC police department for their statement on the matter, but they have yet to respond as of posting time.