Militants burn the effigy of President Benigno Aquino III during the SONA rally along Commonwealth Avenue Quezon City. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA
As President Benigno Aquino III delivers his last State of the Nation Address (Sona), INQUIRER.net looks back at his past five Sonas and how his government dealt with protest actions.
For the members of left-leaning groups, which represent the majority of demonstrators in Sona mass actions, repression of protests has gotten worse under Aquino’s administration.
“Sona rallies under Aquino are no different from the rallies under the repressive rule of (then President) Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s ‘Strong Republic,’ Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) secretary-general Renato Reyes Jr. said in an email interview.
Reyes added, “His ‘daang matuwid’ (straight path) is laced with concertina wires, metal and concrete barriers, container vans, thousands of policemen backed up by the military.”
Sona 2010 – July 26
During Aquino’s first Sona, militants and civil society groups, promising a “peaceful rally,” asked the government to allow mass actions near the Batasan Complex, where presidents traditionally deliver their Sona.
It would be a “good gesture” on Aquino’s part, according to them, if protesters were allowed near Batasan to symbolize the closing of the gap between the people and government.
However, police were ordered to set up barricades with barbed wires to stop protesters from going past Ever Gotesco Mall along Commonwealth Avenue some six kilometers away. During Arroyo’s time, demonstrations were allowed nearer at the Sandiganbayan building.
Police expected a low turnout of protesters and deployed some 8,000 policemen to secure anti-Sona protests nationwide. In and around the Batasang Pambansa, 4,500 policemen were detailed.
Among the first effigies of Aquino militant groups prepared was a Harry Potter-themed figure symbolizing his “magic” or his popularity. Through the effigy, militants challenged Aquino to take advantage of his influence in addressing the country’s issues of corruption and misrule.
Despite the government barring some 8,000 protesters to converge near Batasan, no tension erupted between the police and militants. No one was also hurt in the 2010 rally.
READ: Militants to push demands in Sona rallies Monday
Sona 2011 – July 25
On Aquino’s second Sona, protest groups were told they could only hold the annual Sona rally in a football field several kilometers away from Batasan.
This did not prevent protesters from gathering in rally sites. The number of demonstrators ballooned from the previous year’s 8,000 to 14,000, according to a statement of Bayan. The police put a crowd estimate of 6,500.
“Without presenting any proof of clear and present danger as required by law, the Aquino regime arbitrarily curtails the rights of the people who want to protest and air their grievances. Through the various barriers and fences, we’re treated like chickens in a coop,” said Reyes.
“The barriers have in fact increased every year. The increasing deployment of police personnel shows a very paranoid regime. Even the process of securing a permit is a sham.”
On the days leading to the July 25, 2011 protest, police set up security cameras in areas in Metro Manila where Sona rallies are usually held. The PNP vowed to penalize anti-riot policemen who bring firearms and use it in dealing with protesters. Civil disturbance management personnel were only allowed to bring shields and truncheons.
This time, militants paraded a giant “Penoy” (rotten egg) effigy representing Aquino’s performance in his first year as president.
Like in the previous year, the 2011 Sona rally was relatively peaceful as no major incidents were reported.
READ: Militants: We’ve heard that last year
Sona 2012 – July 23
On Aquino’s third Sona, 95 persons were hurt while public and private vehicles were damaged when demonstrators clashed with some 6,000 anti-riot policemen.
It was the most violent Sona protest under the Aquino administration by far.
Bayan claimed that the melee stemmed from the police’s imposition of an illegal blockade to prevent rallyists from reaching Batasan Road.
Rocks, pieces of wood, plastic bottles flew as protesters toppled barriers to break into areas outside their permits, which they said was not acted upon by the QC government.
From priests to media workers, scores of people from various sectors, including 29 policemen, were hurt. A back-to-back police vehicle and dump truck were damaged. Rallyists said they only acted in self-defense.
Before clashing with anti-riot policemen, militants paraded and burned a 14-foot effigy of Aquino as a “two-faced president” sitting atop a bulldozer to highlight the frequent demolitions in urban poor communities and destructive mining projects in some provinces.
“When the people resist and denounce the repressive actions of the State, the regime responds by using water cannons and truncheons. The confrontations during Sona rallies arise from the repressive acts of the regime,” Reyes said.
READ: PNP units on full alert for anti-Sona rallies
Sona 2013 – July 22
On Aquino’s fourth Sona, police tried a charm offensive complete with balloons, flowers and doves. But protesters ignored the “peace offering” and tried to break through the barricades.
A scuffle ensued where at least 40 persons, including 21 lawmen, were hurt. As a result, the Quezon City police arrested nine protesters. Three demonstrators were hurt.
“The violent attack on protesters was the result of the city government’s denial of a rally permit, the court’s failure to uphold the people’s rights and the Aquino regime’s vicious suppression of dissent. The PNP tried to present itself as a wolf in sheep’s clothing by giving us flowers and balloons,” Bayan said in a statement.
A protester tries to console a riot policeman who broke down in tears after a clash with militant groups along Commonwealth Avenue hours before President Aquino’s Sona. MIKE ALQUINTO/NPPA FILE IMAGES
One of the protest highlights was a crying PO1 Joselito Sevilla who was confronted by a foreign activist, Thomas van Beersum. The Dutch national later lauded the Marikina City policeman for not attacking protesters.
Militants burned an effigy depicting Aquino lavishly feasting in a banquet.
READ: PNP charm offensive on Sona protesters fails
Sona 2014 – July 28
On Aquino’s fifth and penultimate Sona, the issue of the unconstitutional Disbursement Acceleration Program or the President’s pork barrel drove at least 24,000 demonstrators to the streets, making the protest on July 28, 2014, the biggest since 2010.
The presence of former Aquino allies and supporters in the rally was worth noting.
Scriptwriter Ricky Lee and satirist Mae Paner (aka Juana Change) were among the demonstrators, showing their turnaround from Aquino, whom they said failed to end corruption. Paner even said that she was sorry she supported the Aquino before.
“The protests have gotten bigger from the first Sona in 2010 up to the most recent. The reason is that Aquino has failed to solve, and in fact has aggravated, the chronic crisis of Philippine society. There is no inclusive growth. There is widespread poverty and unemployment. Large-scale corruption persists. Human rights violations continue,” Reyes said.
It was also a first for the police to use water cannons during a Sona rally under Aquino to drive away protesters. This was also questioned by the Commission on Human Rights, saying it was a violation of people’s rights to air their grievances.
As the rally went on, militants set fire to an effigy of Aquino, with a pig’s snout, holding a gun. Despite the wet dispersal of protesters, no one was seriously hurt in the rally.
READ: First timers: Former Aquino backers turn their backs on him
Sona 2015 – July 27
Days before Aquino’s last Sona, both the police and militant groups are preparing for a huge Sona protest amid the growing discontent of the people against the current administration.
Activists are expected to parade an effigy of Aquino riding a dilapidated Metro Rail Transit train. In a statement, Reyes said this represented the government’s neglect and lack of empathy for ordinary, working people.
Meanwhile, police said it would deploy a sufficient number of civil disturbance management policemen in anticipation of large mass actions. Some military units will also be on standby in case policemen need help in containing the protesters.
Despite Aquino administration’s trumpeting of its achievement, from successfully improving the defense capability of the country to bridging the gap between the rich and poor, leftist groups still think the straight path is nothing but an empty rhetoric, covering up the real state of the nation.
As for Bayan, it aims to mobilize more people on Monday to call for Aquino’s accountability on matters that plagued his term.
“This is Aquino’s last Sona and it is important that the different issues are raised and the President himself be made accountable. This year’s Sona rally would render judgment on more than five years of the Aquino regime,” said Reyes.
READ: Militants slam NCRPO’s drill for Sona
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