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Bayan calls on gov't to stop arrest of ECQ violators
By ANNA FELICIA BAJO, GMA News On Labor Day, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) secretary general Renato Reyes called on law enforcers to stop the arrest of violators of the enhanced community quarantine guidelines.
"Dapat nang ihinto ang patakaran ng kagyat na pag-aresto sa mga tinaguriang quarantine violators dahil ito ang pinagmumulan ng mga abuso," Reyes said in a virtual rally Friday.
"Hindi maaaring pag-aresto lang ang tanging tugon ng gobyerno sa mga taong walang face mask, walang trabaho, walang bahay, at nahihirapan," Reyes added.
He pointed out that implementing the quarantine should be humane and not militarized.
"Dapat itigil ang offensive military operations sa mga komunidad at sa halip ay magpursige sa usapang pangkapayapaan habang hinaharap ng bansa ang pandemya," Reyes said.
"Dapat buuin ang pinakamalapad na pagtutol sa anumang plano na gamitin ang COVID crisis para magpataw ng martial law at pasistang diktadura," Reyes added.
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Similar to the call of Kilusang Mayo Uno, Reyes also appealed to the government to hasten the distribution of assistance to affected families of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Reyes, the list of the Department of Social Welfare and Development should not be the sole basis in the distribution of aid as some poor families were not included in the list.
"Suportahan natin ang mas masaklaw na listahan ng mga LGU na layong magbigay ng tulong sa pinakamaraming bilang ng nangangailangan. Bawasan ang mga rekisitos ng validation upang mapabilis ang proseso ng pagbibigay ng tulong," Reyes said.
"Bigyan ng ayuda ang lahat ng nangangailangan, mula sa kanayunan hanggang kalunsuran, mula sa mga maralita, manggagawa, at hanggang sa mga panggitnang uri na nakakaranas ng kahirapan," he added.
Earlier, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque announced that an additional four million beneficiaries had been approved by President Rodrigo Duterte to receive cash aid under the social amelioration program.
The Department of Interior and Local Government has extended the deadline for the distribution of the first tranche of the COVID-19 emergency subsidy program in selected areas, which was supposed to end on April 30. —AOL, GMA News