Police won't enter UP campus, to let rally organizers ensure enforcement of health protocols

It is the responsibility of the organizers of the protest action at the University of the Philippines in Diliman to ensure that health and safety protocols are being observed by the rallyists amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Philippine National Police spokesman Police Brigadier General Bernard Banac said Monday.

Interviewed on Unang Balita, Banac said the police will not go inside the UP Diliman campus and that they would let rallyists hold their activity marking President Rodrigo Duterte's fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA).

"Hindi tayo papasok, hayaan na lamang po natin silang isagawa ang kanilang pagkilos protesta sa loob ng UP Campus. Tayo po ay nasa labas lamang," Banac said.

"Iwas din sa pagkakaroon ng didikit-dikit o gathering, ayaw din nating magkasakit ang ating hanay sa COVID-19 so hayaan lamang natin sila sa pagsasagawa ng programa at ipinapaubaya na natin ang responsibilidad sa mga organizers na maipatupad ang mga minimum health standards and protocols, ang physical distancing," he added.

Banac said the police welcomes the organizers' move to place ground markers so that protesters would know where to stand during the activity and observe social distancing.

According to Banac, rallyists could hold protest actions in UP campuses as long as there is coordination with the management of the campuses.

"'Yun lamang po ang pinapayagan na lugar, ganoon din sa iba pang UP campuses all over the country ay maaari po nilang gawin 'yun... kung mayroon man po silang advanced coordination ay maaari po nilang iavail 'yun," Banac said.

Last week, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Police Major General Debold Sinas announced that they had received new guidelines from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) about the ban on gatherings during SONA.

This includes prohibition of rally along Commonwealth Avenue, the main highway leading to Batasang Pambansa, the venue of Duterte's SONA. —KBK, GMA News