THE Quezon City government has turned down the application of the leftist Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) to stage protest actions along Batasan Road during the first State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Marcos on Monday, July 25, at the Batasang Pambansa.
Elmo San Diego, chief of the Quezon City-Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS), said the rally permit application of Bayan was denied on the recommendation of the Quezon City Police District.
A copy of Diego’s order, dated July 19, was shared by Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr., who described the decision as “arbitrary and follows the fascist imposition of the police” and “patently wrong.”
San Diego said he denied the application of Bayan because Batasan Road “is not a freedom park to hold protests and mass gatherings.
“Such gathering will greatly affect the normal flow of traffic for motorists traversing the stretch of Batasan Road/Commonwealth Avenue,” San Diego said.
Reyes said the denial of their application “suffers from a gross ignorance of the law and sheer laziness.
“The permit for Batasan Road was denied because it is not a freedom park. Of course, it is not a freedom park. That is precisely why a rally permit was applied for,” said Reyes.
“There is a wrong notion that rallies can only be held in freedom parks. That is incorrect and is belied by history,” added Reyes, noting that they were allowed to hold protest actions along Batasan Road during the SONAs in 2016 and 2017.
“Annually, rallies were held along Commonwealth Avenue even if it is not a freedom park,” Reyes said.
Reyes also said the DPOS and the PNP cannot use traffic inconvenience as a basis for denying Bayan’s application.
Under Batas Pambansa 880, Reyes said applications for rally permits can be denied only if there is “convincing evidence of a clear and present danger” to public safety.
“Heavy traffic does not constitute clear and present danger to public safety. The State is enjoined to respect the primacy of the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and make necessary arrangements to mitigate traffic disruption,” said Reyes.
Reyes alleged the DPOS “did not exercise its own judgement and independent evaluation of the facts” in reviewing Bayan’s application.
“It did not exercise independence and autonomy as a local government unit. The “copy-paste” denial is also lazy,” said Reyes, stressing the DPOS only followed the recommendation of the police.
“We will assert our right to peaceful assembly and will file charges against police officers who will arrest and harm peaceful protesters. Peaceful protesters, even those without a permit, cannot be arrested,” said Reyes.
He noted that prosecutors and judges have dismissed on many occasions the “illegal assembly” charges filed by the PNP against protesters “because these have no basis.”
“With its scare-tactics, the PNP is only succeeding in showing the world that it is a notorious human rights violator. It affirms why the US Congress voted to deny aid for the PNP because of its terrible human rights record. Let the world see the brutality and intolerance of the PNP under a second Marcos regime,” said Reyes.
MMDA CLEARING OPS
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority yesterday said it has intensified clearing operations on alternate routes in Quezon City for the SONA.
MMDA OIC Baltazar Melgar said the clearing operations are focused on Batasan Hills, Litex Road, Tandang Sora, Visayas Ave., Congressional Ave., C-5 Road, Magiting, Maginhawa, Mayaman, and Kalayaan St. in Quezon City.
Melgar said agency personnel are being assisted by traffic enforcers of the Quezon city government.
“We are removing all traffic obstructions, including illegally parked vehicles and illegal terminals to clear these alternate routes for affected motorists,” Melgar said.
Earlier, Melgar said the MMDA will deploy 1,333 traffic enforcers from its Traffic Discipline Office, Road Emergency Group, Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group, Flood Control and Metrobase along Commonwealth Ave. and other roads leading to and within the vicinity of the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City on SONA day. — With Ashzel Hachero
