Militants claim being denied permit for anti-SONA rally near Batasan

A militant umbrella group said Tuesday night it was denied a permit to hold a protest rally along Batasan Road in Quezon City on July 22, when President Benigno Aquino delivers his fourth State of the Nation Address.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said the Quezon City government denied his group's application for a permit and suggested an alternate site.

"Our lawyers in NUPL (National Union of People's Lawyers) say Quezon City (government denied) Bayan application for rally permit along Batasan Road. (It offered the) park in City Hall instead," Reyes said on Twitter.

Bayan and other militant groups are planning protest actions on SONA Day on July 22. Aquino is to deliver his SONA before a joint session of Congress.

A separate report on dzBB radio Wednesday said the police and militants failed to agree on how far from Batasan Complex the militants can get.

Meanwhile, the Quezon City Police District maintained there could be a security threat for SONA on July 22, radio dzBB reported.

The QCPD on Tuesday afternoon held a dialogue with organizers of protest actions on SONA.

However, the dzBB report said some of the militant leaders did not show up at the dialogue.

In the meantime, dzBB's Rowena Salvacion reported the Batasan area will be a no-fly zone on July 22, specifically within a two-kilometer radius.  — LBG, GMA News