A Bayan Muna Partylist organizer was unlawfully arrested without announced charges by five to six police officers during the Bonifacio Day mobilization along Loyola Street Saturday.
After a clash ensued between the march and a police barricade blocking the path to Mendiola Street, the 62-year-old organizer and stroke survivor stepped aside to avoid further involvement that could have put him at risk. He was then approached by several policemen separating him from the groups.
Police brought him to a nearby outpost, per former Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite, and later sent him to the Criminal Investigation Office of the Manila Police District. Gaite and Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas also attempted negotiations right after the program concluded, but it bore no fruit as police withheld arrest information.
Though the 1985 Right to Assemble Act passed during the Marcos Sr. dictatorship requires a permit to conduct protests unless in freedom parks, the 1987 Constitution stipulated under Section 4 that no law can supersede a Filipino's right to assemble and petition the government.
Mendiola is not a freedom park, but this road to the Malacañang Palace has historically served as a spot for protests nonetheless.
Since the 1960s, Mendiola has been the designated place for peaceful demonstrations and protests addressed toward the government. Consequently, the street is witness to illegal arrests and casualties inflicted on activists like the Mendiola Massacre.
Unlawful arrests continue to happen in mobilizations. This recent incident adds up to the growing number of activists illegally arrested irrespective of due process.
At the moment, the organizer is still in detention, and updates are yet to be made regarding his arrest. But efforts and negotiations are underway for the release of the organizer.
“Hindi makatarungan ang ginawang pagdakip [sa organisador] at dapat siyang kagyat na palayain. Ang pagsikil sa karapatan [niya] ay pagsikil sa demokrasya ng bansa,” Bayan Muna asserted. ●
