Activists from the Southern Tagalog region are appalled over the recent statement of the Philippine police chief, where he said that activists should avoid “inconveniencing” the public in the upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA) of Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
In a press statement, Bayan Southern Tagalog said that the Filipino people have every right to protest and seek redress, and cannot be dictated upon by the Philippine police, particularly its chief Gen. Rommel Marbil.
“Gen. Marbil and the entire PNP do not have the right to order the people on how they should do it,” said Kyle Salgado, spokesperson for Bayan Southern Tagalog, adding that if their protests in the past have caused so-called “public inconvenience” it would be because of the PNP’s own doing.
“Let’s not forget, the forces of PNP were the ones who barred the ST delegates for five long hours from passing through public roads, causing unnecessary traffic,” Salgado stated.
Apart from this, he pointed out that the police even played loud music to drown out protesters and harassed activists with trumped-up charges after the protest.
Salgado reiterated that freedom of expression is a fundamental right.
In a separate statement, Renato Reyes Jr. of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said that the people have every right to protest, especially amid the worsening economic crisis and the paltry P35 wage increase in the Philippine capital.
“The biggest inconvenience and burden on SONA is the incompetent regime, not the protesters. Millions are spent for an official event that showcases tone-deaf pageantry and overkill security,” Reyes said.
Salgado, for his part, urged the Marcos Jr. administration to address issues such as poverty and unemployment.
