Rallies will push via 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 a press release final week from police appearing chief Lieutenant Basic Vicente Danao Jr. that solely Marcos supporters might 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 smash our inauguration.)”
On Wednesday, June 15, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra stated rallies could be held through the inauguration “so long as their statements don’t represent an actionable offense, comparable to inciting to sedition or oral defamation.”
Guevarra added: “The proper of peaceable meeting, no matter one’s political views or affiliation, is assured by the structure, topic to cheap laws 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 might be apprehended, because the traditional chants in opposition to 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 answerable for the unpaid property tax.
Content material can’t be regulated
Legal legislation professor Ted Te stated statements or chants perceived to be defamation can not 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 except the LGU has designated a freedom park, so there isn’t any allow required.”
“Solely leaders are liable, and never the individuals,” stated Te.
Bayan Secretary Basic Renato Reyes stated rallies will certainly push via. “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 motive to mood. Now isn’t the time to permit the State to clamp down of free speech. The occasions 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 motive they need to prohibit us.”
“The Philippine Nationwide Police ought to actually simply research the legislation as an alternative of making an attempt to police the best way folks ought to assume and communicate. It’s such a throwback to Martial Regulation,” stated Reyes.
An possibility 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 a press release Wednesday it “reminds our authorities leaders and authorities that criticism or dissent is a part of a vibrant and functioning democracy.” – MR
