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Pangilinan to protesters: Bring flowers and call your gathering 'mañanita' to avoid arrest


Protesters airing their grievances against the supposed failures of the government should call their gatherings as "mañanita" to avoid getting arrested or facing charges, Senator Francis Pangilinan said Saturday.

"Sa lahat ng nais mag protesta sa mga nagaganap na kapalpakan sa palakad sa Gobyerno, please lang tawaging Mañanita ang pagtitipon at magdala ng mga bulaklak para hindi maaring arestuhin, kasuhan o managot ang lahat ng dumalo!" Pangilinan said in a tweet.

 

 

Pangilinan's advice was an apparent reference to National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Police Major General Debold Sinas, who drew flak last May for holding a birthday celebration despite the prohibition against mass gathering, including parties, under the enhanced community quarantine.

At the time, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año claimed Sinas and his fellow policemen did not willfully violate quarantine protocols, as the celebration was a "mañanita" tradition and not a birthday party.

Sinas has since apologized for the incident, but claimed some of the photos of the event circulating online were "edited and grabbed from old posts."

Like Año, President Rodrigo Duterte also defended the NCRPO chief following the controversy.

Pangilinan's tweet came after several groups expressed fears that the controversial new anti-terrorism bill, now up for Duterte's signature, might be used to target individuals who would express dissent toward the government.

The chamber was able to fast-track its approval after President Rodrigo Duterte certified the measure as urgent "in order to adequately and effectively contain the menace of terrorist acts for the preservation of national security and the promotion of general welfare." -MDM, GMA News

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