A banner calling on the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) community to unite for health livelihood and rights and to junk terror bill was removed by Philippine National Police personnel within five minutes it was placed in the campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila.
UNITED PUP was scheduled to hold a program that day. But due to the lack of transportation, only a few were in attendance, so four students of PUP instead held a symbolic protest against the anti-terrorism bill by hanging a banner with the inscription ‘KOMUNIDAD NG PUP, MAKIBAKA PARA SA KALUSUGAN, KABUHAYAN, AT KARAPATAN! IBASURA ANG ANTI-TERRORISM BILL!’
[PUP COMMUNITY, FIGHT FOR HEALTH, LIVELIHOOD AND RIGHTS! JUNK THE ANTI-TERRORISM BILL!]
The formation was pushing for the junking of the Anti-Terrorism Bill and other demands of the students such as mass promotion and alternatives for students who cannot cope with the university’s plan to implement Flexible Technology Enhanced Learning (FLEXTEL) under the “new normal,”
After laying down the banner on PUP Pylon, the police approached the students and asked their names and if they were PUP students. Some of the security guards from university were vouching that they were PUP students.
The dialogue between the PNP and the students were calm at first and suddenly the police asked if they will just leave the banner hanging because they will remove it, said one of the students.
The student said the police then insisted “bawal makibaka dahil under GCQ tayo ngayon” [it is prohibited to fight, because we are under GCQ.]
Asked why the police are removing the banner after they hung it on the gate, they said the only response they got is “kung kaya niyo nga magkabit, kaya din namin tanggalin yan” [if you can hang it, we can remove it], while the police insisted that protesting is against GCQ guidelines.
The students who reported to have been harassed by the police were baffled as to the violation cited when they believe their actions were within their constitutional rights of expression, assembly and petition for redress for grievances, as well as government’s recent announcement allowing mass gatherings in universities.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced that mass gatherings are now allowed for Higher Education Institution like universities and colleges on June 20.
“Pinayagan na rin ang mass gatherings sa higher educational institutions ngunit kailangan silang sumunod sa existing guidelines sa ilalim ng MGCQ,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in the regular Laging Handa virtual briefing.
[Mass gatherings in higher educational institutions have already been allowed, but these have to follow existing guidelines under MGCQ.]
This was contained in the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases or IATF Resolution No. 47, on amendments to the omnibus guidelines on community quarantine. The guidelines previously prohibited all HEI activities that involved mass gathering of students.
Metro Manila is under general community quarantine from June 1 to 30.
