Tuesday, November 28, 2006 Allowed during summit: Tomas, Palace, Asean security
NOT ONLY will he allow militant groups to have a demonstration during the Asean summit next month, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña will also allow them to use City Government properties for their activities.
Osmeña said he does not anticipate any problem with the militant groups that will hold rallies here, and he is confident they will not do anything hostile.
In Manila, Malacañang rebuffed Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. over his pronouncement that protesters at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Cebu will be banned or “fed to the sharks.”
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said while security will be tight at the conference, protestors will be given an area to air their grievances.
“Our mayors in Cebu know if the protestors will be allowed to do their activities or not,” he said.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the limitation on protests is “part of securing the heads of state of Asean.”
“We have to make sure nobody is put at risk while the summit is going on,” added Bunye, who is also presidential spokesman.
Mayor Osmeña said he is happy that City Hall has been able to hold dialogues with Bayan Muna and its affiliates the past months.
In fact, he said, the City Government will be assisting the multi-sectoral groups in their meetings, specifically by shouldering the expenses for their lunch in one of their activities.
“I feel very confident with the working arrangement and I don’t see any hostility in the way they’ll conduct their demonstrations,” the mayor told a news conference yesterday.
“They didn’t give an assurance per se that they will not hold rallies at the ceremonial route but we told them not to do that. They already know what our stand on this is and that we don’t want to disrupt the summit,” Osmeña continued.
Security officers of the 12th Asean summit will not stop protesters from holding their demonstrations, provided they assemble in the areas designated by the local government units.
Other than that, Police Regional Office 7 Director Silverio Alarcio Jr. said they will “do our best to prevent them” from holding their protests.
Progressive groups have announced plans to bring members to Cebu to stage rallies and other activities during the summit. Among their activities are a march, a fishermen’s fluvial protest, a peace concert and a solidarity forum.
Spoil plans
“I thought they don’t have any intention to disrupt the summit? If their intention is not to disrupt the summit, they can have their meetings after the summit,” he told reporters.
Alarcio added that Cebuanos in general did not approve of their activities and that these additional protests will spoil the security plans they have prepared for several months ahead.
“Para sa Pilipinas ito. Nakikiusap tayo na ‘wag na kayong mag-rally (This is for the Philippines. I appeal to them not to hold rallies),” he said.
He pointed out that the law requires a permit to hold a protest rally. The local government unit is also mandated to designate rally areas.
Anywhere outside these designated areas is off limits to protesters.
With the military and the police expressing their apprehensions on the activities the militant groups will hold, the mayor said their concerns also make him a bit apprehensive.
He said, though, that there are other threats that need the military and police’s attention, rather than the militant groups. “I’m concerned about the other kind of threat, the one that comes with the bombs,” Osmeña said.
Aside from the lunch City Hall will provide, the mayor also allowed the groups to use the sports complex in Barangays Zapatera and Cogon Ramos for their sectoral meetings.
Bayan Muna is reportedly planning to hold a concert in Cebu during the summit, prompting the mayor to offer the free use of City Hall’s sound system at the Fuente Osmeña circle.
“They will be allowed to have a demonstration. At a certain date, they can even use the sound system at Fuente, it’s not as radical as we thought it to be,” he added. (LCR/MEA/(Sunnex)
