QC allows Bayan to hold rally on Commonwealth Avenue for Marcos' SONA

The local government of Quezon City has allowed the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and its allied organizations to hold a protest on Commonwealth Avenue on the occasion of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.' s State of the Nation Address on Monday.

The LGU reached the decision after Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte ordered a dialogue after the city's Department of Public Order and Safety denied on Thursday Bayan's application for a permit to hold a rally on Batasan Road.

The office said the area was not a freedom park, where groups may hold protests.

The dialog on Friday was attended by city officials, police officers, and leaders of the progressive groups.

“Based on these dialogues, the local government has decided to allow progressive groups to conduct their march and assembly along Commonwealth Avenue (eastbound) up to the corner of Tandang Sora Avenue on Monday, July 25, while the PBBM and allied groups will be allowed to conduct their program along Interim Batasan Pambansa (IBP) Road near Sinagtala Street, Barangay Batasan Hills,” the QC local government said in a statement.

The city government also suspended classes in all levels on Monday “to avoid inconveniencing students who may find transportation difficult.”

It also encouraged Quezon City-based businesses to adopt work-from-home arrangements, “in order to ease mobility requirements and congestion.”

“We are also reminding organizers of the activities to follow minimum health protocols, such as wearing of face masks, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as well as to discipline their ranks and finish their activities on the agreed time,” the city government said.

Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes welcomed the approval of the city government, saying that it  defeated the "no rally zone" policy of the Philippine National Police (PNP) which he said was “not only illegal but also a usurpation of the authority of the mayor to approve rally permits.”

“We cannot help but point out the double-standards of the PNP in allowing pro-Marcos groups to assemble at Batasan Road, after earlier recommending the denial of a rally permit for Bayan in the same area,” Reyes said in a statement.

“The PNP continues to think that a different set of rights exists for pro-Marcos groups and the critics of the regime. This was what they did last June 30 as well,” he added.

PNP officer in charge Police Lieutenant General Vicente Danao Jr. said on Tuesday that  Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City was a “no-rally zone” for Marcos' first SONA.

According to a report of Allan Gatus on Super Radyo dzBB, Danao said the “no permit, no rally” policy would be implemented and no permit had been given as of Tuesday.

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Thursday said that it would “not hinder the holding of protests, mass gatherings, and the right of the people to air out their grievances to the government.”

The regional police office said it would even ensure the safety and security of the participants in their program. 

"In fact, we guarantee that we will uphold and protect this right vested upon our people and we will even be there to ensure the safety and security of those who will participate in their program,” NCRPO chief Police Major General Felipe Natividad said in a statement.

Natividad, however, encouraged the protesters to make use of freedom parks in the free exercise of their constitutional rights to assembly and expression.

The Bayan secretary general, meanwhile, said that it was up to the people "to continue asserting their rights.”

“There is still a long way to go before the people can truly realize the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression free from fascist impositions. It is up to the people to continue asserting their rights amid all attempts to suppress them,” Reyes said. -Richa Noriega/NB, GMA News