By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – Cases to be filed against those responsible for the violence during the Sept. 21 rallies that left several people injured, including almost 100 police officers, will be airtight, Philippine National Police (PNP) acting chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said Tuesday.
In a statement, Nartatez said police investigators are extracting essential pieces of evidence as part of the legal offensive against those involved, from the interrogation of arrested suspects to a review of social media posts.
“The investigation is ongoing… Let us allow our investigators to focus on their job. Pero ang tinitiyak ng PNP sa ating mga kababayan sa ngayon ay mananagot ang lahat ng may kinalaman dito (But what the PNP is assuring right now is that everyone involved will be held accountable),” said Nartatez.
Police officers deployed to secure Sunday’s anti-corruption protests were strictly advised to exercise maximum tolerance.
The protests were going smoothly in all sites since Sunday morning when a group of masked men started instigating violence in the afternoon, first at the Ayala Bridge and later in Mendiola.
At least 95 PNP personnel were hurt, some of them had serious injuries requiring medical attention.
“The attacks on our personnel on the ground were captured on video and in photos. Hindi ito police brutality na gaya ng gustong palabasin ng iba, ito ay maliwanag na kaso ng brutality sa ating mga kapulisan—at hindi natin palalampasin ito (This is not police brutality as others want to make it out to be, this is a clear case of brutality among our police officers—and we will not ignore it.),” said Nartatez.
For his part, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla commended the 50,000 deployed PNP personnel for exercising maximum tolerance and ensuring the generally peaceful conduct of the “Trillion Peso March”.
“I would like to commend the PNP for their professionalism and discipline. They adhered to the law and followed their instructions,” Remulla said.
The protest, attended by around 84,000 individuals across 16 areas in Metro Manila and 130 areas nationwide, was largely peaceful despite some isolated incidents.
Aside from the SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) teams deployed in specific areas, the 4,000 officers assigned to Manila neither discharged their weapons nor used tear gas, even when approximately 5,000 protesters set fire to a container truck at the corner of Mendiola and Legarda.
As of Monday, 95 police officers had sustained injuries and were brought to the PSG station in Malacañang and the PNP General Hospital for treatment. In total, 216 protesters were arrested, including 127 adults and 89 minors, after the situation calmed.
The arrested adults are being held at the Manila Police District for processing and the filing of charges related to arson, grave physical injuries, and sedition. Meanwhile, of the 89 minors, 65 were aged 15-17 and classified as children in conflict with the law, while 24 minors were aged 14 and below, categorized as children at risk.
The minors were taken into the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development for further evaluation and to determine whether any of them would be tried as adults.
On social media, the police force also earned praise from netizens for exercising maximum tolerance.
“Before the Sunday protest, I made it clear that every policeman must exercise maximum tolerance and protect those who exercise their right for freedom of expression. We held the line, and we honored that commitment. The uniformed policemen you saw in the assembly sites today are a symbol of PNP courage, professionalism and commitment to peace and order and human rights,” Nartatez said.
“We honored our commitment to maximum tolerance and respect to freedom to hold protest, we will make sure that they will face the consequences of their action not only for putting the lives of our policemen at risk, but also for disrespecting the rule of law,” he added. (PNA)
