The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) expressed disappointment on Sunday at being prevented from setting up a stage in Luneta.
In a statement, the group blasted police for “blocking Baha sa Luneta 2.0 protest preparations”.
“The setting up of stage and road closure should have been done as early as 12 a.m., but the Manila police prevented our team and insists that protests are prohibited in Luneta. This is clearly intended to sabotage the protest, discourage people from joining the rally, and suppress the demand to make Marcos Jr accountable for the large-scale corruption in the government,” said Bayan.
The group claims that today’s protest was coordinated with the city government of Manila and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), noting the public announcement of road closures and installation of MMDA portalets.
Furthermore, they believe that the attempt to derail the protest is linked to the “unnecessary” preparations around the Recto, Mendiola, and Malacanang areas.
For its part, the city government of Manila clarified that the Luneta area is not within its jurisdiction, such that they will not issue any permits for its use in events.
“Roxas Boulevard is under the MMDA while Luneta is under the National Parks Development Committee [NPDC], not with the Manila LGU, so no permits are needed with the city hall,” said Cesar Chavez, Chief-of-Staff of Manila Mayor Francisco Moreno Domagoso in Filipino.
Similarly, Chavez added, the city did not issue a permit for the September 21 rally, but issued one for the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) after the latter secured approval from the NPDC.
The city government clarified it had no objections to the Baha sa Luneta 2.0 rally, but organizers should have coordinated with MMDA and the NPDC.
NPDC is an attached agency from the Department of Tourism (DOT) that is in charge of managing Rizal Park and Paco Park in Manila.
In a separate statement, Domagoso underscored that they do not object to the protest rally.
“We will provide the same assistance (traffic, garbage, and emergency medical assistance) as we did during the September 21 rally and the November 16-18 peace rally. However, Roxas Blvd is under the jurisdiction of the MMDA, and Luneta is under the NPDC. They should coordinate directly with them. That was our advice to the rally organizers in a meeting held in the city hall last November 25, 2025,” he said.
He added that “no rally permit is needed from any local or national agency for Liwasang Bonifacio, as it is a Freedom Park.”
Manila Standard sought the comment of the Manila Police District (MPD) as of publication.
