📷: Kodao Productions
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) on Friday denounced police restrictions on the planned February 25 protest at the EDSA Shrine, calling the move “Marcosian” and a violation of democratic rights.
“Forty years after the ouster of the dictatorship, Marcosian policies are still being used to intimidate and silence critics and dissenters,” BAYAN said.
“Enforcing a ‘no permit, no rally’ policy is an insult to Filipinos who stood up against the Marcos Sr. dictatorship and fought for our democratic rights.”
The group stressed that “authorities should not be allowed to dictate what people can express or protest on February 25,” adding: “Censoring slogans is anathema to the spirit of People Power. Calling for Marcos’s resignation or ouster is not unconstitutional.”
BAYAN vowed to push through with the demonstration, framing it as part of “anti-corruption actions that reflect the people’s outrage against corruption and impunity.”
It urged police to “arrest thieves and plunderers in government—and their crooked cronies and contractors—instead of targeting people who protest abuses of power.”
The coalition said the unity of broad formations gathering on February 25 is anchored on demands for accountability from “Marcos, Duterte, and other corrupt officials,” and insisted the protest must proceed “without oppressive conditions.” # (RRN)
