Pagbutlak

By: Rey Mark Paran

As progressive groups and different sectors commemorate today, Feb. 25, the 38th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Uprising that led to the exile of the Marcos family from Malacanang in 1986, scenes of unrest and tension rose in many places across the country as police forces intervened, disrupting the peaceful mobilization intended to commemorate the historic event.

In Iloilo, two buses carrying students from UP Visayas were intercepted twice by police checkpoints in Guimbal and Tigbauan towns while en route to UP Visayas Iloilo City campus to join the multisectoral mobilization in front of the Iloilo Provincial Capitol.

Student leaders from UP Visayas negotiated and asked the state forces about the necessity of stopping and checking the students’ buses, but the police officers reasoned that it was just regular checkpoints done for security purposes. However, students raised concerns as only UPV buses were stopped at the checkpoints.

The police officers were also seen taking pictures of the buses and the students inside, but when confronted by student leaders, they refused to show or delete the pictures showing students’ faces and insisted that they were only taking pictures of the buses. The police officers also declined to show their identification cards.

This is not the first instance of police interception today, as delegates from Southern Tagalog on their way to attend the multisectoral mobilization for the EDSA People Power Uprising’s 38th anniversary in Manila were stopped by a police checkpoint at Los Banos, Laguna.

The Southern Tagalog delegates, mostly students from UP Los Baños, were held for more than four hours at the checkpoint despite the police not citing specific violations. They also took pictures of the jeepneys’ license plates and drivers’ licenses.

Students also spotted intelligence officers in the vicinity of the area where they were held. A commotion ensued when the students who caught the intel taking their pictures confronted him. One student was harmed during the commotion.

Various progressive youth groups condemned the harassment perpetrated by police forces, including the UP Los Banos USC and Gabriela Youth-UPLB, stating that the PNP should not fear students who only carry placards and megaphones.

“Ang PNP ay takot na takot sa ordinaryong mamamayan ng Timog Katagalugan,” the groups exclaimed.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan – Southern Tagalog (BAYAN-ST) reported that 10 jeeps that carried delegates from Cavite going to Manila to attend the same activity were intercepted for five hours in Balibago, Sta. Rosa Laguna. Police forces also tried to seize the jeepney drivers’ license and other pertinent papers.

A similar instance occurred in Bacoor, Cavite, where police forces threatened to issue tickets to some jeepneys and impound one jeep without citing a clear violation. BAYAN-ST reported that a total of 18 jeepneys carrying more than 350 delegates to Manila were held across the Southern Tagalog region.

According to the Southern Tagalog human rights group, police checkpoints were scattered in 21 towns in Laguna and several others in Rizal and Cavite, purportedly for security purposes.

In the Southern Mindanao Region, at least 30 police officers were seen scattered around Freedom Park in Davao City for the same “security reasons,” as reported by Himati.

Based on a Feb 19 report, the Philippine National Police have deployed 8,500 cops all over the country to monitor security amid the 38th EDSA People Power Uprising commemoration activities.