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Friday, March 29, 2024

Solon slams PNP for excessive force

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A PARTY-LIST lawmaker on Wednesday hit anew the National Police leadership over the use of excessive force which included the use of Long Range Acoustic Device or LRAD during a protest rally by militant groups against the Asean Summit last Monday.

At the same time, Anakpawis Party-list Rep. Ariel Casilao denounced the filing of charges against protesters’ leaders in relation to the series of protest actions.

“This was a clear harassment case to scare activists to discontinue their work with various peoples’ organizations, a tactic used by previous governments” Casilao, member of the Makabayan Bloc, said.

In a related development:

• Street dwellers in  areas in Metro Manila were allegedly told to hide during the Asean Summit.

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Authorities allegedly said  if they did not want to hide, they would be taken away by social workers.

In 2015, the DSWD was criticized for allegedly “hiding” homeless families in a resort in Batangas one day before Pope Francis arrived in the country for a papal visit.

Former DSWD secretary Dinky Soliman denied the allegations, saying the agency had been helping street dwellers well before the event.

According to reports, Dondon Sebastian, 48 years old,  one of the street dwellers staying along Maria Orosa Street in Manila, said they were asked by unidentified men on Nov. 10 to hide from the delegates of the Asean summit.

Sebastian said the men who were not in uniform and did not show their IDs threatened to arrest them if they would not steer away from the streets during the Summit.

Sebastian is based in Zamboanga but moved to Manila to try his luck working as a construction worker.

Lloyd Celebrado, 32, another street dweller who usually stays in Rizal Park, said they were also told the same thing.

Celebrado said they were threatened they would be taken by personnel of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and brought to Manila Boystown Complex in Marikina City or the Manila Reception and Action Center in Ermita.

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