SATURDAY'S commemoration of the 1986 Edsa people power uprising at the Edsa Shrine in Quezon City was marred by an incident that went viral on social media. Jim Paredes, one-third of the legendary band Apo, got into a heated verbal exchange with youths who were fanatical in their support of President Rodrigo Duterte and who strayed near the Edsa gathering even if the pro-Duterte crowd was in Luneta.
When my wife showed me the video posted on Facebook that same day, I thought Paredes was wrong in engaging those youths in a debate. I thought it was unproductive because while Paredes has his own viewpoint those people, too, have theirs. No way an issue could be resolved then. I thought the best part of that incident was when some of the rallyists moved to drive away those youths.
What amused me was the reaction days later of pro-Dutertes in showbiz, like comedian Arnel Ignacio, who is now with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. He challenged Paredes to a debate, which was good. But what caught my attention was when he said thus: “Jim, you must admit that was nasty. Shouting at those kids who were just standing there and holding on to a tarpaulin stating their beliefs. Edsa has no exclusivity. Remember, you invited everybody to come. They did.”
While the pro-Duterte youths had the right to be in Edsa, what they did at that instant was wrong. They taunted the Edsa crowd. For example, what if the situation was reversed and some of the Edsa rallyists went to the Luneta to taunt the pro-Duterte crowd gathered there? Would the response be mild?
While the purpose of the Edsa gathering was to celebrate the 1986 uprising, it was also meant to express the rallyists’ misgivings about the way the country is currently being run. So the activity was no different from the many protest actions I participated in. And in protest actions, the unwritten rule is to let the protesters be. Because in those gatherings, emotions are high.
That no violence erupted when the Duterte youths taunted the Edsa crowd is a testament to the latter’s non-violent nature. But there is no assurance that if something like that is repeated, those taunted can still rein in their emotions. Indeed, it only takes a spark to start a fire. I hope law enforcers would take note of that in future mobilizations by civil society groups and the pro-Dutertes.
I think something almost akin to this happened in the march and rally held in Cebu to protest the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani last year. At the Plaza Independencia, a pro-Duterte group that mistakenly thought the anti-Marcos rally was also anti-Duterte, wiggled into the picture. Which makes one ask whether provoking other rallies has become the pro-Dutertes’ official strategy.
I reckon that rally organizers who are now in the Duterte camp are much too eager to show that they are as capable as the usual protesters of mobilizing people. I actually have no problem with that. But in doing so, they should not break the unwritten rule to let rallyists be. Give the protesters the freedom to express their grievances against the government without provocation.