November 30 protests ‘very peaceful’
MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the two major rallies in Metro Manila—Trillion Peso March and Baha sa Luneta 2.0—on Sunday, November 30, were peaceful, as there was no untoward incident recorded.
“Very peaceful,” Remulla said when asked in an ambush interview about his assessment of the rallies as he arrived along Recto Avenue on Sunday afternoon to observe the situation.
According to Remulla, the maximum size of rallyists who attended the Trillion Peso March at the People Power Monument in Quezon City and the Baha sa Luneta 2.0 at Luneta Park in the City of Manila was around 3,000 each.
READ: Baha sa Luneta 2.0 wraps up, but not without challenges
“We were prepared. We were prepared for the eventuality. But overall, the situation was very peaceful,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
The Philippine National Police earlier said that over 15,000 police officers would be deployed for the major rallies in Metro Manila.
READ: PNP: No intimidation in deployment of 15,000 cops
Bayan Secretary-General Mong Palatino described the police deployment and the security perimeter this Sunday as “overkill.”
When asked for comment about the police’s “overkill” remark, Remulla said, “There’s no such thing as overkill.”
“The overkill is if we’re hurting someone. We’re not hurting someone. We’re always prepared. That is the very essence of this all,” Remulla said.
This Sunday, various groups held mass actions to demand transparency and accountability from the government amid the national budget scandal and allegations of misuse of government funds in infrastructure projects, particularly flood-control initiatives.
The protests took place during the birth anniversary of Gat. Andres Bonifacio, a hero known as the country’s Father of the Philippine Revolution. /cb
