All roads will lead to the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City on Monday for rallyists who will stage their protest action during the penultimate State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo Duterte.
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After banning rallies along Commonwealth Ave. leading to the House of Representatives where the SONA will be held, the Philippine National Police said it will allow mass action within the UP compound for as long as health protocols such as physical distancing and wearing of masks are followed.
“If they will try to mount a rally along Commonwealth Ave., then they will not be allowed to do so. But in UP, because UP has its own set up, rallies are allowed. The guidance of the PNP chief, though, is ‘don’t violate the health protocols and don’t get out of UP compound,’” National Capital Region Police Office chief Major General Debold Sinas said.
PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said while the government would prefer rallies to be held online, it will not prevent critics from holding mass actions inside the country’s top university.
“As much as possible, please stay at home. Protest online and make your voices heard so we don’t endanger our families amid this pandemic,” Banac said.
For his part, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary-general Renato Reyes Jr. welcomed the PNP’s decision to allow mobilizations inside UP even as he questioned the logic of banning rallies along Commonwealth Ave.
“On July 27, all roads lead to UP Diliman for our #SONAgKAISA rally for #JunkTerrorLaw, #IbalikAngABSCBN, #TulongHindiKulong, #AtinAngPinas, and #BalikPasada. It is lawful to protest during the SONA,” Reyes said in a tweet in the vernacular.
For its part, the Commission on Human Rights on Saturday voiced concern over the government’s wish to ban mass gatherings for Duterte’s fifth SONA.
“It is concerning that, after the Philippine National Police guaranteed that the COVID-19 pandemic will not be used to crack down on dissent or dissenters, the Department of the Interior and Local Government issues a memorandum prohibiting mass gatherings days before the 2020 State of the Nation Address on Monday,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia in a statement.
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“The change in messaging is stark: from PNP’s willingness to remind and assist protesters observe minimum health standards to express their opinion to a complete ban on mass gatherings,” she added.
De Guia said such decision from the government comes at a time when studies from countries such as the United States and Australia have shown that protests do not cause a spike in infections for as long as protesters equally mitigate the risks by wearing face masks, practicing physical distancing and observing other health safety protocols similarly reminded by the World Health Organization for those attending rallies.
“We stress the importance of everyone’s compliance to health protocols. After all, we are under a national health emergency,” she said.
“But, even in the face of a pandemic, human rights need to be recognized. We must equally think of the implications to public health when we don’t demand for accountability and better services from the government that has the obligation to protect its people,” she added.
De Guia said Liwasang Diokno in front of the CHR office in Quezon City remains a Freedom Park protected by Batas Pambansa Bilang 880 where protests can be held. It is also part of the UP campus covered by the UP-Department of National Defense Accord.
She said CHR shall be deploying monitoring teams to ensure balance between exercising one’s right to protest and the corresponding obligation to protect other people’s rights by not causing the spread of the virus, among others.
Meanwhile, a coalition of transportation groups and labor organizations called on Duterte to address the dire state of the transport sector in his SONA.
The Koalisyon ng Transportasyon para sa Mamamayan on Saturday said the government must prioritize the development of an inclusive, safe, sustainable, and efficient transportation system as a key aspect of national recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
The alliance, composed of at least 25 organizations, will hold a big rally under the SONAgKAISA banner.
“Thousands of drivers, conductors and operators of public vehicles have been out of work for months in observance of health protocols and are struggling amidst this pandemic,” said lawyer Luke Espiritu of the labor group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino.
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