LEFT-LEANING groups staged a pocket rally at Freedom Park in time for the second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Fortunately, the protest action ended without any untoward incidents.
In an interview on Monday, DCPO chief Col Alberto Lupaz said they implemented a security plan led by the Civil Disturbance Management in anticipation of the street protests during the SONA.
“No monitored direct threats in the city, but there are rallies conducted, although small,” he said, adding that all personnel were directed to enforce maximum tolerance on the protesters.
However, he also said the police wouldn’t have hesitated to arrest any individual if the demonstration escalated to violence or disturbance.
“If they are converging peacefully, we don’t have a problem with that,” he said.
Gabriela, Anakbayan, Kabataan Party-list, Bayan SMR, and Kilusang Mayo Uno led the demonstrators. The groups railed against government policies and demanded that President Marcos Jr. should prioritize creating solutions for better livelihood, affordable costs of living, and more.
The groups also demanded an across-the-board P1,100 salary increase to the minimum wage, a reduction in the prices of basic commodities, the repeal of the Rice Liberalization Law and the TRAIN Law, the scrapping of the Maharlika Investment Fund and EDCA.
They are also fighting against the jeepney phase-out, the NTF-ELCAC, and contractualization.
In a statement also, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers Act ( ACT)-Davao Region graded the administration an “F.” The group said the President failed to address the nation’s pressing issues while parading himself to 11 trips in ten international countries since assuming office on June 30, 2022.
He also failed the teachers miserably, who are the backbone of the education sector.
“Therefore, his pronouncements will not coincide with the teachers’ trust state of their conditions,” it added.
