PNP chief to men: keep communication lines open with organizers of SONA rallies

As it finalized preparations for President Benigno Aquino III's State of the Nation Address on July 23, the head of the Philippine National Police reminded his men to keep communication lines open with organizers of SONA-related rallies.

 

PNP chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome said he wants lines of communications with militants open despite their snub last Monday of its dialogue in preparation for the SONA, radio dzBB's Benjie Liwanag Jr. reported early Thursday.

 

But Bartolome also reminded the PNP, especially in Metro Manila, to keep alert against criminality despite their "temporary preoccupation" with SONA security operations.

 

Earlier this week, the PNP quoted Metro Manila police chief Director Alan Purisima as saying he is ready to deploy some 6,000 Metro Manila police around the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City to deal with protesters.

 

Purisima also said the Metro Manila police is fine-tuning coordination with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, House of Representatives, local government units, and other concerned agencies.

 

Militants to bare 'real' state of the nation

 

After boycotting a dialogue initiated by Metro Manila police in preparing for the July 23 SONA, militants vowed to bare what they called the real state of the nation on July 23.

 

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said people should press the issues in the streets because there is "no real opposition among the major political parties" to counter Aquino's upcoming SONA.

 

“The real State of the Nation will not be delivered in the air-conditioned halls of Congress where the President and his allies are gathered. The true state of the nation will be delivered in the streets by the ordinary workers, urban poor, farmers, women and youth. It is ironic that while Aquino will proclaim the greatness of his regime, the people whom he called his bosses will be pushed as far away as far as possible from Congress by thousands of riot police,” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said.

 

On Monday, Bayan boycotted a meeting called by the Metro Manila police with groups planning to hold protests in time for SONA.

 

It cited the advice of its lawyers in not attending Monday's meeting, claiming the dialogues had been used by police in justifying their "violations" of people's right to peaceably assemble and air their grievances against the government.

 

"For so long, these dialogues have been a way for the PNP to justify its violations of the constitutional right of the people to peaceably assemble and air their grievances to the government. They have used the so-called dialogues as a way to impose PNP security measures which run counter to our Constitutional rights and even the government’s own Batas Pambansa 880," it said in a statement.

 

Bayan said it had applied for a rally permit last July 10, planning to march to and hold a rally at the Batasan Road, near the Batasang Pambansa.

 

"We reserve our right to explore all our legal options should the PNP violate our constitutional rights," it added.

 

Nationwide protests

 

Bayan also said it will launch nationwide protests coinciding with the SONA, focusing on what it called the unfulfilled promises of President Aquino as well as the worsening economic crisis, human rights violations, violations of national sovereignty and the climate of impunity under Aquino's watch.

 

It said it expects Aquino to make a big deal out of the so-called first quarter economic growth and the impeachment of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

 

“For all its PR gimmicks and rhetoric, the last two years of the Aquino government has been all about unfulfilled promises amid the worsening conditions of the people. Behind the rosy statistics and claims of growth is a country that is reeling from unemployment, massive overseas migration, poverty, and underdevelopment. Aquino can no longer blame all of the nation’s woes to the past regime," Reyes said.

 

He added the July 23 rally is meant to make Aquino "accountable for the problems brought about by his own regime.”

 

“The people are fed up with empty pronouncements and deceptive catchphrases. Aquino has failed to address the nation’s problems. He has failed to stop impunity and bring justice to human rights victims. He has toed the line of big business, especially the big foreign mining firms. He has surrendered our sovereignty to US military intervention,” Reyes added.

 

Bayan also accused Aquino of employing “weapons of mass deception” to conceal poverty and give the illusion of growth.

 

Reyes cited the multibillion-peso Conditional Cash Transfer scheme that he said was meant to cover up poverty and social inequality.

 

He also said the Public-Private Partnership deceives people into thinking that economic growth lies in the hands of foreign investors.

 

Failure to make Arroyo accountable

 

The group also said Aquino should account for his failure to make his predecessor, now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo, accountable for all her crimes.

 

It also scored Aquino's failure to arrest fugitive Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr., and his failure to hold accountable his own officials being implicated in various anomalies and irregularities.

 

Rally permit

 

Bayan said it has applied for a rally permit before the Quezon City government, to march toward Batasan Road.

 

It said Batas Pambansa 880 gives the city government two days from the filing of the permit to act on the application—"otherwise it is deemed granted."

 

"The law also states that the City Government cannot arbitrarily change the venue of the rally without informing the applicant and providing a hearing," Bayan said. –KG, GMA News