While it recognizes the public’s right to assemble and air grievances, the Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) appealed to protesters not to hold their rallies along major roads like Edsa, especially during rush hours.
On Tuesday morning, traffic along Edsa nearly grounded to a halt after around 1,000 members of various ethnic groups held a two-hour rally in front of Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame in Quezon City.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said traffic on the northbound lane started to build up around 9:45 a.m.
While the protesters were dispersed before noon, traffic remained heavy around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, which incidentally was the second day of the strict implementation of the “no window hours” policy.
PNP-HPG spokesperson Supt. Beth Velasquez said that while they respect the protesters’ right to assembly, mass actions should be held at a time and place that would not inconvenience the public as much as possible.
“It must be simple, quick and done not during peak hours. We can’t take away one’s right to air grievances, but we hope that it will be done somewhere more spacious,” Velasquez said. —Jovic Yee