Troops ready to secure 'Edsa Tayo' rally

MANILA, Philippines - The military is ready to support law enforcers in securing the second anti-pork barrel rally slated for September 11 along Edsa.

Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said the Joint Task Force National Capital Region (NCR) could provide troops when requested by the police.

“We are hopeful that our citizens will be able to exercise their freedom of expression peacefully,” Zagala said.

“The Philippine National Police and, if needed, the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) are there to ensure that the event is peaceful,” he added.

Zagala said the Joint Task Force NCR deployed a company or about 100 soldiers to Mendiola during the so-called “Million People March” last month.

He added that soldiers are not allowed to attend the Sept. 11 rally, which has been dubbed as “Edsa Tayo.”

“As soldiers, we are servants of the people and for us to effectively serve the people, we must maintain our military discipline. One way of showing our discipline is obedience to the chain of command,” Zagala said.

Retired soldiers, however, can participate in the rally if they want to.

“We now consider them (retired soldiers) as civilians They can now express how they feel which they cannot do before,” Zagala said.

Zagala said the participation of retired generals in rallies does not mean that they are seeking the support of active soldiers.

“We believe our organization is professional and we believe the retired AFP officers are professional. They know what is lawful and what is not,” he said.

No threat

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said they have not monitored any threat that could disrupt the “Edsa Tayo” rally.

“Be assured that we continue to monitor (the developments) so that we will be able to address the threats appropriately,” Gazmin said.

The defense chief said the “Million People March” last month was “not really a failure but was not very successful either.”

Organizers of last month’s rally sought to attract at least one million participants.

The target was not reached based on police estimates but rally organizers said the protesters were able to send a strong message against corruption.