Militant groups demand release of 2 Edsa protesters
Various groups who took part in one of the rallies marking the 40th year of the Edsa People Power Revolution on Wednesday demanded the release of two activists who were arrested by police for alleged assault, resistance and disobedience to persons in authority.
On Thursday, the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (Pahra), Sanlakas, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) condemned the arrest of Edel Parducho and Three Odeña, who are being held by the Mandaluyong police.
Parducho is a member of Pahra, while Odeña is with SPARK.
“We call for the immediate release of the two detainees, the dropping of all fabricated charges, and accountability for police officers who violated their rights,” Pahra said in a statement.
According to Sanlakas, police used “unwarranted and unjustified excessive force” when they shoved protesters occupying parts of Edsa into a single lane and onto the sidewalk, prompting them to push back. The pair was arrested in the ensuing scuffle.
Sanlakas said that Parducho, acting as a marshal, was protecting women and families of extrajudicial killing victims from being pushed forcefully, while Odeña was peacefully documenting the event when she was pulled by the hair and arrested.
Baseless charge
“We assert that the charge of physical injury is baseless and contradicted by video documentation and eyewitness accounts,” Pahra said.
SPARK spokesperson Milo Basuel said that even before Odeña’s arrest, the police had been trying to take away her camera “for taking pictures of the brutality unleashed by the police on the youth activists.” The youth group held a rally in front of the Mandaluyong police headquarters on Thursday to demand her release.
Bayan, on the other hand, said the police intentionally tried to disrupt the protest by removing a truck that served as a makeshift stage and their sound system. Despite this, the group went on with their planned program.
“It is the police who should be made to account for the use of violence and for failing to practice maximum tolerance during the protest,” Bayan said.
PNP defends actions
The Philippine National Police, for its part, defended its actions, saying its personnel followed proper procedures. It earlier said that seven police officers were injured in the scuffle.
“Our protocols are clear: we exercise maximum tolerance. However, when our personnel are physically assaulted or when the safety of the public is at risk, we must act to restore order,” PNP chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said.
According to him, the police had to act after some protesters allegedly threw stones and disrupted traffic.
Nartatez reminded protestors that “your rights end when violence begins,” adding that human rights do not cover attacking the police or disrupting the public.
“We are not arresting them for their beliefs. We are arresting them for specific violations of the law,” he said.
Two rallies were held separately on Wednesday on Edsa, one at the People Power Monument, and the other at the Edsa Shrine, to mark the 40th year of the peaceful four-day revolution in 1986 that overthrew the regime of then President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
