Rallies restricted to freedom parks

MANILA, Philippines - The police will allow protest actions in freedom parks anywhere in Metro Manila but not at the historic EDSA Shrine in Quezon City.

A day after the surprise burial of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Supt. Oscar Albayalde said they monitored no protest rally by anti-Marcos groups in Metro Manila.

However, in the event that there would be a protest rally, Albayalde directed his five police districts to exercise maximum tolerance in dealing with the rallyists.

Albayalde said that under Batas Pambansa 880 or the Public Assembly Act, mayors are required to assign public spaces where people can protest freely.

And without designations from the metro mayors, all parts in their cities are deemed freedom parks.

But in the case of the EDSA monument in Quezon City, where anti-Marcos crowds gathered until the wee hours of the morning yesterday following the burial of Marcos, Albayalde said it is not considered as a freedom park.

He said the EDSA Shrine is a property owned by the Catholic Church and had banned all protest rallies in the area in the past.

According to Albayalde, protest rallies in freedom parks would be tolerated even without permits in respect to the constitutional rights of free speech and freedom of assembly, provided they are conducted peacefully and orderly.

“In case the protesters become unruly, violent and start damaging properties, the full force of the law will be applied,” Albayalde said.

On the part of the military, it is still maintaining a high state of readiness even as anti-Marcos protests had waned.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) placed its forces on red alert on Friday to secure the burial of Marcos at the LNMB.

“It’s already routine for us in the AFP to monitor the developments on the ground while we maintain our high state of readiness for any eventuality,” a military officer said. – Non Alquitran, Jaime Laude, Romina Cabrera