PRO 7 to press charges vs 10 Edsa protesters

At least 10 members of cause-oriented groups, including a University professor, are set to face charges for allegedly destroying the front gate of the Police Regional Office 7 during a rally in commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of the People Power Revolution on Monday, Feb. 25.

Included in the list is Dr. Phoebe Zoe Maria Sanchez, a professor of the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu, who will also be facing an administrative complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas. Sanchez is the chairperson of Karapatan-Central Visayas.

“Those involved in the destruction of our front gate, they were caught in our CCTV cameras. We will research and identify them then file a case against them to show them that it is not right to destroy government property,” said PRO 7 director Chief Supt. Debold Sinas.

But Jaime Paglinawan of Bayan Muna Central Visayas said they were not surprised that the police will sue them claiming they were only exercising their right to peaceful assembly and express their sentiments against the national government.

Sinas said they did not allow the group to stage a rally as they sometimes cause traffic in uptown Cebu City.

But with the camp's gate destroyed, Sinas said he will make steps to bar demonstrations in the area.

Sinas even defended the move of his personnel to play the theme song of "Voltes V," a popular Japanese anime television series back in the '70s, from being played while the protest was ongoing.

Sanchez earlier said the police were "very rude" for playing the music so loud. “They tried to drown our voices with their sound system. They were very rude. They wanted to kill the spirit of Edsa. The boundary of the headquarters is the gate. We were standing on public property,” Sanchez said.

“They are lucky I was not there. Because if I was, I will personally arrest them,” Sinas told reporters.

He threatened that if more rallyists will stage a protest at the PRO 7, he will not hesitate to use the sound system again.

Paglinawan said what the police did was a clear indication they will no longer allow rallyists like him to assemble and to exercise their right to express their opinions.

Paglinawan said the local police are becoming more aggressive against them, especially that their demonstrations are focused on the police's bloody campaign against illegal drugs in the region.

Earlier, Paglinawan and other members of cause oriented groups vowed to file charges against police officers who allegedly bullied them while they were conducting their program outside the PRO7 headquarters. (From AYB of Superbalita Cebu/JKV)

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