Duterte-linked Maisug group to stage Manila rally before Marcos’ SONA

Hakbang ng Maisug, which is linked to the Dutertes, is set to stage a rally in Manila before the third State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., the police said Friday.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Police Major General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the Maisug’s SONA rally will be held on Saturday at the Liwasang Bonifacio.

“Meron na tayo doon sa Manila, sa Liwasang Bonifacio. Five thousands sila,” Nartatez said in an ambush interview after a send-off ceremony for police personnel for Marcos’ SONA.

(We already have one group in Manila, in Liwasang Bonifacio. They are five thousand.)

“Meron tayong nakaakibat na puwersa doon of the MPD especially the [civil disturbance management] and the contingencies of the MPD will secure that,” he added.

(We have a force from MPD, especially the civil disturbance management and its contingencies, to secure that.)

Manila City government’s public information office told GMA News Online that a permit is not required for Maisug's rally since Liwasang Bonifacio is a freedom park.

“Being a freedom park, no permits from the LGU are required. The City of Manila has not issued any permits for the Maisug Rally,” Manila PIO’s Princess Amante said.

Quezon City’s Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS) said that Maisug rally organizers had asked for a permit to rally from its department.

However, DPOS was not able to give them a venue.

“Yung Maisug kasi nag-cancel dito sa amin. Wala kaming naibigay na venue kaya napunta ng Manila yan,” DPOS head Elmo San Diego told reporters in another ambush interview.

(Maisug canceled their application to us. We were not able to give them a venue so they go to Manila.)

The Dutertes have been appearing in Maisug events in recent months, including a prayer rally in Davao City back in January. Former President Rodrigo Duterte also expressed disappointment over the cancellation of the group's prayer rally in Leyte in May.

Vice President Sara Duterte has already announced that she will not attend Marcos’ SONA, saying that she has appointed herself as the “designated survivor.” She refused to elaborate why she will not attend.

The Vice President left Marcos’ Cabinet and resigned from the posts of Education Secretary and vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). —VAL, GMA Integrated News