A militant youth organization on Saturday denounced the Aquino administration for enforcing road closure, banning street protests and shutting down communications in Metro Manila during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit of leaders.
“Martial Law aims to stifle dissent, hide the country’s real situation from the world and cover up Apec’s crimes,” said Anakbayan chairman Vencer Crisostomo. He added the planned shutdown of Metro Manila “smacks of paranoia and is an assault to freedom of expression, dissent and information.”
“Aquino is trying to hide from the public and the world the truth behind Apec’s globalization and what it has meant for Filipinos and the region: it is a bane and has left the people poor, miserable and oppressed. It has pushed wages down, prices high and has attacked rights and welfare,” Crisostomo said.
The group also called on the government to allow protest rallies during the meeting.
“The most fitting welcome that we should give the leaders of big, oppressive nations like the Unites States and China, which have violated our national sovereignty, is protest. We should be allowed to tell the world that we disapprove of bullying, abuse and exploitation of our nation,” Crisostomo said.
The group also called for campus walkouts, protest camps and demonstrations against the holding of Apec event from Nov. 17 to 20.
The meetings will be the second high-profile global event that the country will be hosting after the World Economic Forum on East Asia last May where the administration of President Benigno Aquino III trumpeted the Philippines as the “next Asian miracle.”
Amid the threat of street protests, Metro Manila police director and APEC-Task Group Manila chief Joel Pagdilao assured the safety of 21 leaders of different countries participating in the meeting.
He said all police commanders in the National Capital Region —Central Police District, Manila Police District, Eastern Police District, Southern Police District and Northern Police District—were ordered to secure the venues, routes, and billets intended for APEC delegates and participants.
Pagdilao said his office also formulated traffic management and security plans in close coordination with the Metro Manila Development Authority.
So far, according to Pagdilao, no threats have been reported, but he said his men remain in full alert to prevent any threat groups or individual criminals from taking advantage of the situation.
“We cannot afford any disruption of peace and order here in the Metro, we will make sure that no group or individual will disrupt the event and endanger the delegates, especially around the vicinity of the conference venue, road routes, and other places where delegates are expected to meet,” he said.
Pagdilao said security preparations for billeting of the delegates are well coordinated with concerned hotel security officers and the Presidential Security Group.