Muntinlupa to designate Liwasan Park as rally site

Muntinlupa City Mayor Jaime Fresnedi said yesterday he will designate the city’s Liwasan Park in Alabang as a freedom park, where his constituents can hold rallies to air local or even national concerns.

Fresnedi said that while the city may have experienced the same kind of problems other cities have had in connection with protest actions or rallies, his administration has always recognized the people’s right to organize.

The mayor said that he has maintained an "open-door policy," which allows protest groups to hold day-long demonstrations right at the City Hall quadrangle even during office hours.

"Apart from the Liwasan Park, I will still be discussing with the City Council other specific areas in the city that can be allocated as freedom parks," Fresnedi said.

Based on the Supreme Court ruling, all local government units are directed to assign areas in their jurisdiction that can be referred to as freedom parks.

Organizations or groups may hold rallies and stay at freedom parks after securing permits from the concerned local government.

Fresnedi said he is also looking at the Sunken Garden at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Barangay Poblacion as a possible area to be designated as a freedom park.

"However, the final decision on that will depend on the Department of Justice since a huge portion of the NBP area is owned by the national government," he pointed out. – Rhodina Villanueva