Duterte 'veerus' effigy burned online on SONA day, say marchers

The annual burning of the President's effigy on Commonwealth Avenue will not take place when Rodrigo Duterte delivers his State of the Nation Address this year.

According to Raffy Tima's report on "24 Oras", this years effigy will be an e-ffigy, an electronic pre-recorded version which activists intend to share far and wide.

“Lalagyan natin ng kaunting stop motion, so may kaunting movement ng protestors kahit ganyang flat lang sila," said Angelo Suarez of the Sama-samang Artista para sa Samahang Agraryo.

"So habang tumutungo sila sa Batasan, mag-tatagpo sila ng isang malaking Duterte virus sa video at ‘yun mismo ‘yung susunigin natin bilang effigy,” he added.

Suarez said that the system may be spread to other protest centers by Monday through a video.

A rally has been planned at a portion of the Commonwealth. The program will also only last until 2 p.m. to decrease the protesters amount of exposure amid the pandemic.

“Mayroong health protocols. Maski pagdating pa lang ng assembly point, no, nag check ng temperature, inaalam kung sino-sino exactly ‘yung nandoon para makapag contact tracing,” Suarez said.

However, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said that holding a rally at the Commonwealth Avenue was prohibited.

“Kung doon talaga, bawal. Doon sa UP kasi sa UP may sarili naman silang set-up doon, we’ll just be negotiating sa administration doon,”  NCRPO Director Police Major General Debold Sinas said.

The NCRPO received new guidelines from the Department of the Interior and the Local Government on Thursday against mass gatherings. 

The police will talk with the protesters as regards the guidelines -Joahna Lei Casilao/NB, GMA News