KMU to file complaint vs QCPD over ‘harassment’ of protesters

Riot policemen get rough with protesters on the road to the Batasang Pambansa —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) on Sunday said that it is slated to file a complaint before the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) against the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) for its alleged harsh treatment of protesters rallying at the House of Representatives.

In an interview with INQUIRER.net, KMU secretary general Jerome Adonis said that his group will file the complaint on Monday, March 11, since members of the QCPD have already shown this harsh behavior towards protesters on multiple occasions.

READ: Protesters call on QC mayor to act on police harassment 

“Of course, our rights to protest should be upheld. We don’t want those things they do to happen again. What are they afraid of, that we’ll protest? We’re just protesting about wages, not Cha-cha (Charter change),” Adonis said.

The labor leader mentioned that during one of their protests on February 27, their group had tried negotiating with the police who were deployed to disperse them but they were simply shrugged off.

“If they were to try and talk to us, I’m sure that we’ll be able to land on a middle ground. But they just kept brushing us aside,” Adonis added.

During the same protest, KMU and Nagkaisa Labor Coalition (Nagkaisa) said that their members were pushed and hurt by police in riot gear. The KMU secretary general noted that two of their members had to be brought to the hospital due to the injuries they sustained while others needed first aid treatment.

“For those two, at least there’s a medical record that was brought to the hospital. So they will be joining us tomorrow,” Adonis continued.

KMU will also seek a dialogue with Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte to assert their rights to free speech.

“We also planned to seek a dialogue with Mayor Joy. Same content of the complaint with the CHR, we’re just looking for the right timing. It can’t always be like that,” he told INQUIRER.net.

The group’s secretary general said that they will also file a complaint before the House of Representatives’ Human Rights committee on the QCPD’s alleged harassment of protesters.

Adonis added that they have also urged other labor groups to file a complaint before the CHR against QCPD.

INQUIRER.net reached out to the QCPD for its reaction on KMU’s statement but it has yet to respond as of posting time.

KMU and Nagkaisa previously said that the incident on February 27 was not the first time protesters endured “harassment” from the Quezon City police.

READ: PUP students hurt in police dispersal 

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.

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.

Following both incidents, Belmonte took to social media to apologize, saying that the local government did not order the police’s actions.