POLICE officials yesterday said the inauguration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. at the National Museum in Manila was peaceful and orderly, with no major untoward incident reported.
PNP Director for Operations chief Maj. Gen. Valeriano De Leon attributed the success to the preparations done by the PNP, Armed Forces, and other law enforcement agencies.
“Indeed, all will be well if everything is planned well. The inauguration of our new President, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., is peaceful, orderly, and successful,” said De Leon.
“But we would not be able to do it without the hard work and sacrifices of everybody who took part as early as in the planning up to the last-minute implementation of the security measures,” De Leon added.
At least 18,000 soldiers, policemen and other law enforcers were deployed in Metro Manila to maintain peace. Half of the personnel were tasked to secure the inauguration site while the rest were sent to other areas, mainly to check on rallyists and man checkpoints in various entry points to Metro Manila.
“We can say that it is generally peaceful. The security coverage laid down for the inauguration is successful as no untoward incident was recorded in all engagement areas,” said PNP spokeswoman Col. Jean Fajardo.
On the request of the PNP, militant groups agreed to move their protest rally from Liwasang Bonifacio to Plaza Miranda, which is farther away from the National Museum.
“In consideration of the peaceful holding of the rally program, and to avoid any untoward incident with Marcos supporters, and upon the request of the PNP, we have decided to move our rally venue to Plaza Miranda,” the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said in a statement.
“The venue holds historic significance in the anti-dictatorship struggle and is also a designated freedom park,” Bayan added.
Bayan said Marcos’ return to Malacanang “does not extinguish the crimes and abuses of the Marcos dictatorship.
“No amount of repetitive playing of Bagong Lipunan will change this bloody record. These will remain historical facts,” it said.
“The Marcos restoration, however, does highlight how rotten the Philippine political system has become, with the new occupants representing the worst aspects of bureaucrat capitalism in the country. The factions of the ruling elite that were strongly opposed by the people in the past have come together to support the second Marcos regime and advance their narrow class interests,” Bayan added.
The PNP public information office, citing information from the PNP Command Center, said there were around 1,000 protesters, mainly from leftist groups, who gathered at Plaza Miranda.
The rallyists rejected the Marcos administration, demanded the freedom of political prisoners, press freedom, and a halt to the killing of farmers.
The protesters started assembling at the Plaza Miranda a few hours before the inauguration started and began leaving the area shortly before Marcos delivered his speech.
The PNP said about 5,000 Marcos supporters gathered at the public viewing area at the Intramuros golf course in front of the National Museum before a lockdown was implemented at around 10 a.m.
“There were no significant incidents relating to the inauguration and we attribute it to everybody who took part in the planning and implementing our security plan, as well as to our kababayan (countrymen) who cooperated with us and understood the strict security measures that we implemented,” said De Leon.
De Leon thanked the protest leaders and organizers for policing their own ranks, leading to the peaceful conduct of the protest actions.
“As we have said before, no untoward incident will occur if we are going to respect others and if we’re going to abide by our agreements,” said De Leon.
PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. said there were no significant untoward incidents in Manila and other areas nationwide during the inauguration.
“Through (the) activation of Manila Task Force Shield, our police force along with other government agencies have successfully prepared and implemented all security measures for solemn and orderly conduct of the inauguration of President Marcos,” said Danao.
The PNP said there was also a “brief mass action staged by a small group” in Quezon City, referring to around 70 victims of martial law, declared by Marcos’ father, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., in 1972.
The victims, led by former human rights chairperson and former Akbayan party list Rep. Loretta Ann Rosales, vowed to be vigilant against tyranny and human rights violations
under the new Marcos administration.
In a statement, the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA) said the inauguration of Marcos “marks another stage in our people’s struggle against tyranny and authoritarianism and for democratic governance.
“CARMMA pledges to remain steadfast in its demand for accountability of the Marcoses for historical denialism and distortion, plunder, human rights violations and other anti-people acts,” it said.
“Together with other people’s organizations, institutions, groups and individuals we continue to call for the return of stolen public funds and resources and the payment of billions of taxes owed by the Marcoses,” CARMMA added.
It said it will stand with other human rights organizations in “asserting our freedoms of expression, assembly and association.
“The sacrifices of the thousands who fell and the millions who suffered during the long dark years of the Marcos dictatorship will serve as inspiration in our continuing quest for a just and democratic nation,” CARMMA said.
