Marikina mayor, cops clash over volunteers’ arrest

MANILA, Philippines — Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro yesterday locked horns with the Philippine National Police (PNP) over the arrest of 10 people running a community kitchen for allegedly holding a street demonstration on Labor Day.

While Teodoro insisted that local police officers “overreacted” and ordered the release of the volunteers, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said they were pushing through with charges of illegal assembly, resistance and violations of lockdown protocols.

“They were arrested because they gathered in the streets, holding placards to protest. The idea is, we are under ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) even if you say you are following strict social distancing, organizing gatherings is prohibited,” NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas told reporters.

The NCRPO stood its ground even as Teodoro maintained that no charges could be filed against the volunteers since they sought permission from the city government and they strictly complied with social distancing and lockdown protocols during their relief operation.

“The PNP overreacted. They shouldn’t have arrested them because they weren’t even doing anything wrong … I am telling our police force now that there are no charges they can file against these people. They have sought the local government’s permission to do relief operations and it is part of humanitarian aid accorded to communities,” Teodoro said.

The volunteers – seven jeepney drivers, two teachers and a community volunteer affiliated with women’s group Gabriela – were running a community kitchen to feed the poor and the families who lost their livelihood during the quarantine.

While running the kitchen, the group had also put up placards in their station calling for mass testing, which might have been misinterpreted by the police, according to Teodoro.

“It may have been so that they had placards, but it is May 1 today. It is part of exercising their constitutional rights and their freedom to express themselves,” he said.

Bayanihang Marikenyo at Marikenya said in a statement that it started with one community kitchen on March 14 and it now has 30 community kitchens across 10 barangays.

Sought for comment, the city police said they were still investigating the incident.