16 more marchers arrested

The Manila Police District arrested 16 rally leaders yesterday during a dispersal operation along Lepanto near Mendiola for violating the "no permit, no rally" policy of the government.

Some 1,000 members of militant group Sanlakas, led by its president Wilson Fortaleza, tried to break through the phalanx of anti-riot policemen in their march to the Chino Roces (formerly Mendiola) bridge.

"Throughout the illegal demonstration, our men exercised maximum tolerance even when they rushed to the phalanx of anti-riot policemen. We gave the rallyists 15 minutes to voluntarily and peacefully disperse but they became unruly and even threw stones at our policemen," Bulaong said.

The arrested rallyists were brought to the National Capital Region Police Office in Bicutan, Taguig to avoid a repeat of Tuesday’s incident, when those arrested were "abducted" by their companions while being brought to the Ospital ng Maynila for medical examination.

Last Tuesday, police arrested several key figures in the militant organizations which include party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo, lawyer Romeo Capulong, Renato Constantino, Obet de Castro, Father Joe Dizon and Carol Arellano for obstruction and illegal assembly.

The arrested leaders were forcibly abducted from the police by their followers while being brought to the Ospital ng Maynila.

"We know that their companions will again try to snatch their leaders from police custody. So we decided to bring them to Bicutan where they will be investigated and charged," said Superintendent Arturo Paglinawan, chief of the General Assignment Section of the MPD.

The arrested leaders of two groups of rallyists were charged with violation of Batas Pambansa 880 for illegal assembly, while their followers were booked for obstruction, according to Paglinawan.

Respect of rights

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza gave assurances yesterday that the civil liberties of demonstrators who coordinate properly with authorities in securing permits and picking rally sites will be respected at all times, even as he directed the Manila police to require all peace-keeping forces to be in proper attire, complete with nameplates.

He said the nameplate rule was important, in order to avoid the possibility of any "unaccountable party" from wreaking havoc on a peaceful gathering.

The mayor explained that Manila authorities have been strict in requiring prior coordination from rally organizers, only because they wanted to "protect the rights and safety of everyone — the demonstrators asserting their freedom of expression, the ordinary public needing to go about their daily routine without disruption, and the civil security workers who must be allowed to do their job of keeping the peace without fear of undue prosecution or even risk of being at the receiving end of any deliberate disruption."

Atienza reminded rally groups that "these are not normal times" as seen from the current alert levels against terrorism in Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, the Sunken Garden, fronting the Bonifacio Shrine in Intramuros, had long been designated as Manila’s freedom park, according to a research committee tasked by Atienza.

The group found out that Manila Ordinance 336 designated the Sunken Garden situated along Calle Muralla in Intramuros as "Roxas Park of Liberty" or "the public place for peaceful assembly to discuss issues of national and international importance without the necessity of securing a permit from the mayor."

The group discovered the existing city ordinance while looking for a public place to be designated as freedom park for rallyists, in response to the suggestion of National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Vidal Querol for Metro Manila mayors to designate the cities’ freedom parks. — With Katherine Adraneda