Leni-Kiko Pink Sunday rally violated pandemic restrictions –QC gov't

The Quezon City (QC) government said on Sunday that the campaign rally led by the supporters of Vice President and presidential aspirant Leni Robredo and her running mate Senator Kiko Pangilinan at the QC Memorial Circle violated several COVID-19 restrictions.

The QC local government was referring to the activity dubbed Pink Sunday by the supporters of the Robredo-Pangilinan tandem, which drew at least 7,000 people according to a Quezon City Police District estimate.

Robredo said in her speech that the crowd at the open-air area exceeded their expectation of 20,000.

"Unfortunately, today's 'Pink Sunday' event organized by supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Francis Pangilinan resulted in a spillover crowd that violated several restrictions that were mutually agreed upon. While crowd control is a highly complicated aspect of large gatherings, it is a test of discipline for the organizers and attendees to show that their chosen candidates observe the laws of the land," the QC local government said.

"We hope that in the future, all coordinators will take this responsibility more seriously."

The QC government, however, clarified that the reminder was for all the supporters and organizers, regardless of their preferred candidate.

"Now that the campaign period for national candidates has officially started, Quezon City is once again honored and thankful to be one of the main venues chosen for rallies and related political gatherings. Rest assured, our Local Government Unit is ready, willing, and able to provide all the necessary assistance to ensure that these activities are safe, and cause minimal inconvenience to the general public," it said.

"On that note, we would also like to remind the organizers of these events about the importance of attending our pre-event coordination meetings, and more importantly, about strictly adhering to the agreements outlined in the signed permits."

Likewise, the QC government added that each candidate is assigned the same venue and the same concessions, and these must be observed for everyone's safety.

"Although NCR (National Capital Region) is currently under the more moderate Alert Level 2, our country is still in the midst of a pandemic," it added.

Attorney Ibarra Gutierrez, the spokesperson for Robredo, apologized for the spillover and vowed to do better.

"We acknowledge the concerns of the Quezon City Government, extend our thanks for its vigilance, and take full responsibility," Gutierrez said.

"While the organizers ensured that access to the immediate vicinity of the program proper was limited, and that all attendees were advised to bring vaccination cards and observe health protocols, the sheer number of people that arrived was a challenge, for which we apologize."

Gutierrez said that, moving forward, the Leni-Kiko campaign was taking steps to ensure stricter compliance with all applicable regulations. — DVM, GMA News