No Stage for You: QC Bars Bayan and Pro-Duterte Groups from Setting Up at People Power Monument for EDSA Anniversary

With the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution on February 25, the Quezon City government has decided: only one stage, and not everyone gets access. Bayan and pro-Duterte groups have been denied permits to set up near the People Power Monument.

Elmo San Diego, head of QC’s Department of Public Order and Safety, said five groups applied for rally permits but they couldn’t agree to share a single stage. In the end, only the Trillion Peso March Movement (TPMM), together with the Ninoy Aquino Foundation, Tindig Pilipinas, and Church Leaders Council for National Transformation, were granted permission.

San Diego didn’t mince words about why some groups were rejected: ‘If you wish the government to fall, why should you be given a permit? If the direction of your rally is short of being seditious, definitely, we will not give you a permit.’ He also cited security concerns about groups with members who have criminal records.

Mayor Joy Belmonte denied reports that the city has banned placards and streamers. ‘The city government’s primary concern is only to secure the area and keep it peaceful and orderly while the people are celebrating the historic event and expressing their rights at the same time,’ she said.

San Diego also clarified that the EDSA Shrine is no longer under QC jurisdiction — it sits at the tri-boundary of San Juan, Mandaluyong, and Pasig, under the Eastern Police District. So expect a busy and divided EDSA this Tuesday, with different groups rallying in different spots. Ingat sa EDSA, mga kababayan!

Source: The Manila Times