Police asked for protest leaders’ names at Martial Law anniversary rally — group

The police "engaged" some students who participated in protest actions on the 47th anniversary of dictator Ferdinand Marcos' declaration of Martial Law, a group said.

"The first incident at DLS-CSB [De La Salle - College of St. Benilde] involved policemen approaching student participants in the program and asking for the names of the leaders of the action," One La Salle for Human Rights and Democracy (OLFHRD) convener Iana de Castro told GMA News Online, referring to mobilizations held on Friday.

"The second at Luneta involved policemen approaching students from our contingent and showing them a photo of Alex Pacalda, a young human rights worker who was recently abducted and illegally detained without charges by confirmed military forces, inquiring the students if they know of Ms. Pacalda," she added.

De Castro said that the students "politely engaged" with the police but that they responded with red-tagging.

"The policemen insisted that Ms. Pacalda is a terrorist, not a human rights worker, sowing fear in the students with the rhetoric that conflates the youth movement built on democratic principles and human rights with terrorism," she said.

"The policemen walked away after they noticed that the students fell completely silent during the unsolicited lecture," she added.

De Castro said their group was not able to take note of the cops' names.

MPD to look into it

In a statement, the chief of the MPD's public information office Police Lieutenant Colonel Carlo Magno Manuel said that the department will look into the group's allegation. 

"The MPD will conduct investigation on the matter, to determine and clarify that such action is a violation of human rights, if any," he said.

"Rest assured that MPD will not tolerate any wrong doings of their personnel, particularly in violation of Human Rights."

The police also said that the rally ended peacefully and that no untoward incident was recorded.

"The Manila Police District (MPD) exercised maximum tolerance all throughout the protest rally participated by more or less 500 people on the 47th anniversary of Martial Law," MPD chief Police Brigadier General Vicente Danao Jr. said.

"There was no truth of asking names and making black propaganda or any sort about them. As a matter of fact, the presence of the police is to safeguard their rights of freedom of expression and to ensure their safety," he added.

Various protest actions were mounted on Friday and Saturday to mark the 47th anniversary of the 1972 Martial Law declaration.

The Palace, on the other hand, said that martial law is necessary to save democracy.

"Those who perceive that a declaration of martial law is anti-democratic is oblivious of the fact that its application is precisely the very tool to save the exercise of democracy. It is only when it is clothed with abuse by its enforcers that it becomes obnoxious," Panelo said.

"Necessarily, its proclamation arises only upon constitutional dictates. Any violation thereof subject the transgressors to the wrath and vengeance of the Constitution," he added. — BM/KBK, GMA News