[ad_1]
MANILA, Philippines – Can Filipinos be summoned to conduct online protest actions?
Valenzuela city police briefly detained four members of different cause-oriented groups who turned to social media for a coordinated act of protest on Labor Day.
Arrived for questioning at the Malinta police compound were Fidel Columna, leader of Kilos na Homeless; and Marlin Abique and Danny and Ann Calunsad, members of the Manggagawa League in the city of Valenzuela.
The first four published photos of banners on social networks calling for an end to labor contract, a higher risk payment for workers and greater security measures in factories as part of their Labor Day mobilization, said Macario San Agustín , Metro Manila Urban Media Officer. poor Kadamay group.
“Until now there is no concrete reason why they were taken by the police. For our part, we see this as an attack and intimidation against progressive groups that are asking for the protection of workers, “San Agustín told the investigator in an interview on Saturday.
The group was questioned about their protest and held at the police station for five hours before being released at 9 p.m. on Friday.
Valenzuela Police Chief Colonel Fernando Ortega did not immediately respond to the Investigator when asked for an interview about the incident.
Labor groups took to social media to carry out their Labor Day protests amid a ban on mass public gatherings as part of quarantine measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Police previously warned protesters that they would challenge the ban.
Marikina arrests
In the city of Marikina, police arrested 10 people on Friday while distributing relief items and carrying banners calling on the government to carry out mass tests for the coronavirus. The police reserved them for alleged violation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).
They were released on Saturday after the city attorney’s office said there was “nothing recorded to support the charge” against them. All 10 were initially accused of violating the Public Assembly Law of 1985 and of resistance and disobedience to people in authority.
Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro, who previously requested her release, said they were simply “exercising freedom of expression” and that the police “overreacted” and “misinterpreted” the posters.
The volunteers, the mayors said, were actually promoting the defense of the city government in support of the mass testing, especially after Marikina’s own testing center was finally approved by the Health Department.
Read below
EDITOR’S SELECTION
MOST READ
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to gain access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer and over 70 other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download from 4 a.m. and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For comments, complaints or inquiries, contact us.
[ad_2]
