Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) condemned Pasay police for violently dispersing a protest against visiting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio outside the PICC yesterday.
Activists reported that police snatched banners, shoved demonstrators with shields, and briefly detained Moro leader Amirah Lidasan and a Kalikasan network member.
Three protesters sustained bruises, while veteran photojournalists Bullit Marquez and Rene Dilan were accosted—Marquez nearly handcuffed.
Bayan denounced the crackdown as a “blatant violation” of free expression, accusing authorities of shielding “war criminals and plunderers” while suppressing dissent.
Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers Party-List stated:
“Nagkandarapa silang lapastanganin ang karapatan ng mamamayan at media bilang pakitang-gilas sa imperyalistang amo ng Marcos Jr administration.”
The group demanded accountability for Pasay police, citing similar actions against anti-corruption advocates during the first day of Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Bayan further accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of “subservience” to US interests, warning that Rubio’s visit signals expanded military presence and intervention in the Philippines. # (RRN)
