PNP: 29 cops, 1 civilian injured in SONA rallies

MANILA, Philippines - Several protesters repeatedly attempted to break past their allowed area along Commonwealth Avenue – others through negotiations but some in a rowdy manner – during President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address yesterday.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Alan Purisima said at least 30 persons were injured – 29 cops and a civilian – when militant groups threw stones to get near the Batasang Pambansa complex where the President was delivering his third SONA.

Purisima said the protesters destroyed a dump truck, a police car and several government properties like police truncheons and the road dividers of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Asserting their right to protest against the President’s SONA, militants first attempted to break past police blockade, stomping on concrete barriers one of which fell on a policeman.

The crowd reached more or less 5,000 at around noon, said Chief Superintendent Mario dela Vega, director of the Quezon City Police District.

Dela Vega himself sustained a cut on his right arm from a jagged edge of a steel fence as he was overseeing the police’s handling of the protests.

Tension erupted again after around 1,000 protesters crossed over to the other side of Commonwealth Avenue at around 3 p.m.

Protesters destroyed steel fences in an attempt to cross over to the other side of the road, said Dela Vega. Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes, meanwhile, said 95 protesters were injured, with most of them having head trauma and defensive wounds.

Photographers John Javellana and Noel Celis were also injured during the confrontation.

Protester Ian Cabillan, who was holding a flag of party-list group Gabriela, was taken by the police for allegedly throwing rocks during the commotion.

He had wounds in both elbows and denied he was throwing rocks at the police.

He said he was wounded after he tripped while running away. At around 5 p.m., protesters started to disperse.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome said the annual SONA of President Aquino was generally peaceful despite the protest actions.

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Gay men garbed in colorful outfit momentarily stole the show along Commonwealth Avenue.

They were shouting “Maki-bekki, huwag ma-shokot,” apparently a play on the popular militant chant: “Maki-baka, huwag matakot.”

“We ask the President to come out for human rights for the LGBT,” said Rev. Cejay Agbayani of the Metropolitan Community Church. Agbayani’s church is known to officiate weddings for gay couples.

But Agbayani said he and his companions are from the group “Samahang LGBT para sa Nasyonalismo” or SALN.

According to Agbayani, they were there to express their dissatisfaction over President Aquino’s lack of policy for the LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgenders) community.

Agbayani said 11 years have passed since the passage of the “Anti-Discrimination Bill.”

Agbayani was accompanied by gay men in colorful head pieces and banners carrying the colors of the rainbow, which signifies the gay community.

Kids join rally

Despite the possibility of a bloody confrontation with policemen, militant groups still brought children to the mass protests.

Most of the children were clad in ordinary clothes, waving placards and signboards.

A boy from barangay Del Monte in Quezon City said he was encouraged by a neighbor, “ate Mylene” to join the rally “in exchange for rice.”

Mylene, based on the placards held by the children, is from Gabriela Women’s Party.

“Ang sabi po sa amin bibigyan kami ng bigas...tsaka po baka pera (We were told that we will be given rice and maybe money),” he said.

Joseph is among the 10 kids – ages 15 and below – brought by “ate Mylene.”

In an interview with The STAR, Mylene declined to give her surname but said the children are her nieces and nephews.

According to Mylene, the kids were there to protest against privatization. When asked if the kids understood the issue, she said she was about to explain it to them.

She added that the children were there to protest the K+12, but the children, when asked, were clueless.

“I brought them here so they will understand why people go to the streets and protest against the government,” she said.

None of the placards they brought, however, were about K+12.

Cha-cha proponent?

The militant groups that included the peasant sector accused President Aquino of being “the brains behind the fresh moves for Charter change.”

“The Filipino people can no longer be deceived by Malacañang. Aquino’s so-called openness on Cha-cha discussions exposes himself as the brains behind moves to amend the Charter,” said Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas spokesperson Antonio Flores.

“As a true haciendero, Aquino is the No. 1 proponent of the 100-percent foreign ownership of lands and utilities, and the removal of the protectionist provisions of the Constitution,” Flores said.

“Charter change will pave the way for the country to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement that seeks to abolish all tariffs by 2015,” he added.

United Luisita Workers’ Union chair Lito Bais said, “It’s been three months since the Supreme Court’s final decision to distribute Hacienda Luisita and all we see are the obvious political maneuvers by the President’s family and the Department of Agrarian Reform to circumvent the Supreme Court decision.”

“The continuing deception in Hacienda Luisita concretely shows the true state of the nation and the Filipino peasantry,” Flores said.

On the other hand, the Freedom from Debt Coalition expressed belief that without an anti-corruption drive, the economic governance approach of President Aquino, or as some quarters call it “Aquinomics,” would be considered no different from the 10-year reign of “Arroyonomics.”

“Just like former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President Aquino is still following the economic framework of neo-liberalism and its policies of liberalization, privatization and deregulation – the very same reasons why our agricultural and manufacturing industries could not compete with those of other countries; why electricity, water, oil and other basic necessities have skyrocketing prices; and why there are no available local regular and decent jobs for most of our people, including the nine million OFWs,” the group said.

Last Sunday, militant workers groups in Hong Kong have also criticized President Aquino for his failure to address the concerns of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Members of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK), GABRIELA-HK, Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR-HK), and BAYAN-HK held a protest action the other day to call on Aquino to implement real reforms aimed at alleviating poverty.

Dolores Balladares, chairperson of UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK, said the increasing number of Filipinos working abroad proves that there is no real economic development in the country.

“Our demands included concrete changes that we deemed could be answered by Aquino with a mere stroke of his pen such as lowering of passport fee (HK$ 510 or around P2,700). Unfortunately, as with all the other promised changes he made, he chose to just sit on these issues and even allowed for more burdensome policies,” Balladares said. – With Rhodina Villanueva, Aie Balagtas See, Carina Roncesvalles, Sandy Araneta, Mike Frialde, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Perseus Echeminada, Cet Dematera, Raymund Catindig, Charlie Lagasca