Quezon City junks rally permit for SONA protesters

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City government has denied the application of militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) for a permit to hold a rally along Batasan Road during the first State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Marcos on July 25.

In a letter to Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. dated July 19, Elmo San Diego, who heads the city’s Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS), said they did not grant the request to use Batasan Road as a venue for protest actions.

San Diego cited the recommendation of the Quezon City Police District, which stated that Batasan Road is not a freedom park where people can hold rallies.

He said allowing cause-oriented groups to hold demonstrations along Batasan Road and Commonwealth Avenue would result in traffic jams.

“Such gatherings will affect the flow of traffic in the area,” San Diego said.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) had declared Commonwealth Avenue a no-rally zone during the SONA.

Reyes criticized the DPOS for its ignorance of the law, saying the denial of the application for a rally permit violates the protesters’ constitutional rights.

“The rally permit was denied because Batasan Road is not a freedom park,” Reyes said. “Of course it is not a freedom park. That is precisely why a permit was applied for.”

He noted that protests were held along Batasan Road during the first two SONAs of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Bayan said the DPOS and the PNP could not invoke traffic inconvenience as a basis to deny the permit, noting that the law states that a permit can be denied only if there is “convincing evidence of a clear and present danger” to public safety.

The group said it would assert its right to peaceful assembly on Monday and would file charges against police officers who will harm protesters.

“Peaceful protesters, even those without a permit, cannot be arrested. On many occasions, prosecutors and judges have dismissed the illegal assembly raps filed by the police,” Reyes said.

Peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas said there is no “clear and present danger” in their mass actions for the SONA.

“The PNP is overreacting and imposing tyrannical measures,” KMP chairman Rafael Mariano said.

Police designated the Quezon City Memorial Circle, Commission on Human Rights compound and the University of the Philippines campus grounds in Diliman as freedom parks.

Delivery riders are also gearing up for a protest rally to demand their recognition as workers with labor and social security rights.

Don Pangan, secretary general of the Kapatiran sa Dalawang Gulong, said their members would join SONA protests on Monday to express their grievances. – Emmanuel Tupas, Mayen Jaymalin