Rallies will push by and there’ll nonetheless be anti-Marcos chants, says Bayan’s Renato Reyes as ‘that is no time to permit State to clamp down on free speech’
MANILA, Philippines – Risk hangs over teams who would stage anti-Marcos protests on June 30 for the inauguration of incoming President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on the Nationwide Museum.
It began with an announcement final week from police appearing chief Lieutenant Common Vicente Danao Jr. that solely Marcos supporters shall be allowed to stage mobilizations close to the Nationwide Museum. For the anti-Marcos teams, Danao stated “baka masira naman po ’yung ating inauguration (it could break our inauguration.)”
On Wednesday, June 15, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra stated rallies may be held throughout the inauguration “so long as their statements don’t represent an actionable offense, similar to inciting to sedition or oral defamation.”
Guevarra added: “The suitable of peaceable meeting, no matter one’s political opinions or affiliation, is assured by the structure, topic to cheap rules to keep up peace and order, together with the requirement to acquire a previous allow.”
Guevarra’s assertion that defamation is an actionable offense fueled concern that anti-Marcos rallyists shall be apprehended, because the common chants towards the household embrace calling them thieves, as reference to the stolen wealth acquired by the Marcoses within the dictator’s greater than 20 years in energy. President-elect Marcos is the executor of the dictator’s property, and as such, he’s straight chargeable for the unpaid property tax.
Content material can’t be regulated
Prison legislation professor Ted Te stated statements or chants perceived to be defamation can’t cease a rally as a result of Supreme Court docket jurisprudence dictates that content material of a protest can solely be regulated if it poses clear and current hazard. Clear and current hazard embrace calling for violence, or threatening to detonate a bomb.
“[You can only regulate] time, place, and method,” stated Te, a former spokesperson of the Supreme Court docket.
Te added the legislation on rallies is BP 880, and the stated laws “interprets that each public plaza is a freedom park until the LGU has designated a freedom park, so there isn’t a allow required.”
“Solely leaders are liable, and never the members,” stated Te.
Bayan Secretary Common Renato Reyes stated rallies will certainly push by. “Plans to be introduced subsequent week,” added Reyes.
Will they nonetheless chant that Marcos is a thief?
“Chants have been there ever since. We see no cause to mood. Now isn’t the time to permit the State to clamp down of free speech. The instances demand the complete train of free speech and to aggressively counter disinformation,” stated Reyes.
Reyes stated that whereas he has had expertise being in a protest dispersed on the Nationwide Museum, “so long as the exercise is peaceable for instance on a sidewalk throughout the road, I don’t see any cause they need to prohibit us.”
“The Philippine Nationwide Police ought to actually simply research the legislation as an alternative of attempting to police the best way individuals ought to assume and converse. It’s such a throwback to Martial Regulation,” stated Reyes.
An choice could be to carry the rally on the close by Liwasang Bonifacio, which Reyes stated “is a freedom park and doesn’t require allow.”
The Fee on Human Rights (CHR) stated in an announcement Wednesday it “reminds our authorities leaders and authorities that criticism or dissent is a part of a vibrant and functioning democracy.” – MR
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