Military readies for Sept. 21 but says its just precautionary
All units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have been placed on red alert ahead of anticipated demonstrations to be staged by multiple organizations in protest of massive corruption in the government’s flood control program on and before September 21.
AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla yesterday said that the military has been on red alert status since September 12 despite the lack of fanfare.
However, she was quick to clarify that the declaration was not brought on by any particular threat to the government’s stability.
“This is simply a precautionary measure on our part. This is part of our standard security protocols. We would like to emphasize that there is no cause for concern,” Padilla said in Filipino.
Still, she cautioned against attempts to infiltrate or hijack the looming anti-corruption protests to sow chaos.
Padilla also belittled efforts by certain groups to convince AFP personnel to withdraw support from President Marcos and his government, saying, “We [the AFP] reject these calls… The solution must be found in our democratic institutions and rule of law, not through extra-constitutional means.”
Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Sunday said it is monitoring the groups scheduled to participate in the anti-corruption rally at the Quirino Grandstand on September 21.
“Our intelligence monitoring is also to see if this will be just a simple gathering or if there are other agendas, as you said, for those who will join this protest. So right now, we are finding out what the background of this protest action will be on the 21st,” Police Major Hazel Asilo, the NCRPO’s spokesperson, said in a televised interview.
“Right now, based on our monitoring, we don’t see any groups that might have a different agenda, but we are continuing to monitor whether this will have a negative impact on us,” she added.
For his part, Acting PNP Chief, Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez, Jr. said a “no permit, no rally” policy will be enforced on mass actions scheduled in the coming days.
In an interview, Nartatez urged rally organizers to secure the necessary permits to avoid dispersal.
He also reminded would-be demonstrators that the EDSA People Power Monument and the EDSA Shrine are not “freedom parks,” so the use of these venues for protests is prohibited.
“The EDSA shrine is not a freedom park,” the country’s top cop said.
“We have readied our security plans for dispersal, crowd management, and security. We have security plans that have been set,” he disclosed in a separate interview.
Groups that have announced their intention to participate in upcoming protest actions so far include the Akbayan party-list, Anakbayan, Anakpawis, Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan, Alpha Kappa Rho, Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals, Clergy for Good Governance, Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, Duterte Die-hard Supporters, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Tindig Pilipinas, and student organizations from Ateneo de Manila, Miriam College, and the University of the Philippines, among others.
Furthermore, at least two major transport groups have announced plans to go on strike this week.
Yesterday, the Samahang Manibela Mananakay at Nagkaisang Terminal ng Transportasyon (Manibel) said it would hold a three-day nationwide strike from September 17 to 19, to protest corruption in flood control projects.
“Diesel excise tax only goes to the luxury [goods] of politicians’ children,” it said in a statement.
Manibela said its members will also participate in the rally at Luneta Park in Manila on Sunday.
Likewise, the group Piston said its members will go on strike on Thursday to dramatize their indignation over the flood control fiasco.
“Hearings and investigations alone are no longer enough. Someone must be held accountable! Someone must be put in jail,” Piston wrote in a social media post.
