Let protesters be, police appeal
About 50 police officers, including some undercover operatives, will roam the streets of Cebu City today to make sure a transport strike proceeds peacefully.
“Please tell us if someone you don’t know will go along with the group so that we may know if they are infiltrators who might cause havoc during the rallies,” Senior Supt. Jonathan Cabal told leaders of cause-oriented leaders, with whom he met to take up security arrangements.
He appealed to the public not to break the ranks of protesters. “Please don’t provoke any confrontation because it is their right (to speak up),” the Regional Intelligence Division chief said.
Among the areas where the protesters will gather are near the first Mandaue-Mactan Bridge in Pajo, Lapu-Lapu; near a mall in the vicinity of Butuanon Bridge in Mandaue City; and in front of the Land Bank of the Philippines on P. Del Rosario St. in Cebu City.
The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) will deploy 50 uniformed and undercover policemen in the city today, following Malacañang’s suspension of work in government offices and classes in both public and private schools due to a transport strike.
Jonathan Cabal, Regional Intelligence Division (RID) 7 chief of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7, said they expect the protests to be peaceful, but they will be on the lookout for infiltrators.
“Please tell us if someone you don’t know will go along with the group so that we may know if they are infiltrators who might cause havoc during the rallies,” Cabal said in a dialogue with cause-oriented leaders Sunday.
He advised the public to refrain from breaking the ranks of the protesters to give them their right to air out their grievances to the government.
“Please don’t provoke any confrontation because it is their right,” the RID-7 chief said.
Cabal said that on the police side, they will maintain maximum tolerance on the protesters and that their rights will be respected all throughout the activity.
City Intelligence Branch (CIB) Acting Chief Senior Insp. Narrolf Tan said that civil disturbance management (CDM) personnel are on standby for anything that may happen during the protests.
“We would like to request the rallyists to conduct a peaceful and organized protest. We assure the public that the police will be present to assist in any form that we can,” Tan said.
Nick Abasolo, chairman of the Kilusan ng Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Cebu said that around 100 members will join the rallies with Piston.
“It’s our opening salvo for the Lakbayan where other members from different parts of the Visayas and other regions will participate on Tuesday,” Abasolo said.
The Piston’s protest centers in Lapu-Lapu City is near the Mandaue-Mactan old bridge in Barangay Pajo, while in Mandaue, will be in front of the Pacific Mall.
At 10 a.m., the group will con- vene in front of the Land Bank of the Philippines on P. Del Rosario St. and at 11 a.m. will finally move to Colon.
The protesters are expected to disperse after 1 p.m. today./