Protesters report harassment by soldiers, cops ahead of SONA

Military and police checkpoints along the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan highway prevented thousands of members of various militant groups in Northern Mindanao yesterday from getting to Iligan City to attend a protest action there in time for President Rodrigo Duterte's State of the National Address (Sona) Tuesday afternoon.

Some 3,000 of protesters from Cagayan de Oro City, Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental were on board 38 trucks and vans when they were stopped at checkpoints in Barangay Bulua here, in Opol, and El Salvador City.

The delegates were from the progressive groups Bayan, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, League of Filipino Students, Kalumbay, Kadamay, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Union of People's Lawyers in Mindanao, church workers, among others.

Wildon Barros, regional secretary-general of the labor group Kilusang Mayong Uno (KMU), said his group was stopped at a checkpoint in Opol and was held for more than an hour.

“We had our photos taken, they listed our names and our vehicles were individually checked. They (police officers manning the checkpoint) were courteous but we were curious why we were the only ones being held for so long,” Barros said.

“It was intended so we could not join the protest rally in Iligan,” he added.

sound system ang gipugos og dala sa police station ug ilang giwestyon ang among permit nga kinahanglan daw coordination sa mayor ug sa police ug ubang mga technicalities,”Chenfoo said.

The volunteers were later released after the group’s leaders talked and clarify permit issues with the police.

About a hundred protesters were surprised when the local government held a program at venue of the demonstration.

Chenfoo said they took an area at the back of the plaza to conduct a little program so they can air their sentiments and grievances pertaining to Duterte’s first year in office.

“Nakurat kaayo mi kay nag-programa napud ang LGU sa plaza so natipok na lang mi sa likod para makahimo mi sa gamay nga programa,” Chenfoo said.

While, they were staging protest, Chenfoo said the police started to harass and threaten them.

“Samtang gipangawas na namo ang among placards nagsugod napud sila pagharas ug panghadlok sa amo kay bawal daw,”Chenfoo added.

About fifty students from various universities in Mindanao who were attempting to do relief operations in an evacuation center in Iligan City had earlier reported being supposedly mistreated by soldiers at a checkpoint at Barangay Hinaplanon, Iligan City, July 23.

According to Christine Cabardo of the League of Filipino Students who was one of the students testified that they were held for about three hours in one of the checkpoints going to an evacuation center in Iligan City’s Barangay Mandulog .

The students are part of the PaxGanern Peace Camp sponsored by the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines. They group was composed of students from various universities in Mindanao such as Davao, Surigao, and Marawi city.

“It was the immersion part of our Peace camp to go to evacuation centers and do relief operations to the evacuees there,” Cabardo said.

Upon reaching the checkpoint however, the officers did not grant them entrance to the centers because they allegedly did not have clearance coming from authorized personnel such as the city police director.

“We however were with some from DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) and some of our leaders in the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines. Nonetheless, we did not like the way they handled us,” she explained.