Palace: EDSA Rally Not a Threat, But Traffic Concerns Raised

Malacañang on Tuesday said it does not see the ongoing gathering at the EDSA People Power Monument as a threat to the Marcos administration. Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. respects the public’s right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly but does not tolerate abuses. “Wala pong nakikitang threat dahil alam naman po ng Pangulo na ang kanyang ginagawa ay para sa taumbayan. Kung meron lang pong ibang interes o interes ng ibang grupo, interes ng iilang tao, hindi po siya dapat maging hadlang sa pagpapatupad ng Pangulo at ng administrasyong ito ng batas,” Castro said at the Palace briefing on Tuesday. (The President does not see this as a threat because he knows that what he is doing is for the Filipino people. If there are other interests, those of certain groups or a few individuals, it should not hinder the President and this administration from enforcing the law.) Castro added that the President remains focused on enforcing the law and advancing programs for the welfare of the Filipino people despite the ongoing gathering. Some 10,000 protesters have gathered at the People Power Monument in Quezon City Tuesday. They were calling for accountability and transparency. Castro noted that Marcos had been informed of the gathering early Tuesday morning and directed authorities to exercise maximum tolerance while enforcing the law if violations are committed. “Maximum tolerance ang dapat ipairal… Pero kung may lumalabag sa batas ay dapat din ipatupad ang batas (Maximum tolerance should be observed. But if anyone violates the law, the law must also be enforced),” she said. She said the President has been closely monitoring not only the security situation but also the effects of the gathering on commuters and motorists. According to Castro, the administration considers the surprise rally to have affected the public because of the traffic congestion it caused along EDSA. “Magkakaroon po ito ng impact sa bawat tao, sa bawat trabahador, sa bawat estudyante, sa bawat pasyente na nakasakay sa ambulansya na dadaan sana sa EDSA (It affects every person, every worker, every student, and every patient in an ambulance that should have been able to pass through EDSA)," she added. She further said that people who were not part of the protest had become “collateral damage.” “May mga taong hindi naman sangkot sa kanilang pagpoprotesta. Nagkakaroon lamang tayo ng mga collateral damage (There are people who are not involved in the protest. They end up becoming collateral damage)," she said. Castro also noted that rallies using public roads should be coordinated with the government. “Alam po natin kapag nagra-rally at gagamit po kayo ng kalsada ay dapat may permit. At hindi po ito dapat inililihim para naman po makapaghanda ang gobyerno (We know that if you hold a rally and use public roads, there should be a permit. It should not be kept secret so the government can prepare)," she said. She said authorities would investigate any violations committed during the gathering. “Kung meron tayong makikita ngayon na violation ng anumang batas, ito po ay iimbestigahan at kung kailangan managot… ay kailangan din po managot (If we find any violations of the law, these will be investigated, and those who should be held accountable will be held accountable)," she said. Castro added that the President canceled his scheduled engagements on Tuesday morning to monitor the situation and its impact on the public. “Kaya nga po ang Pangulo ay hindi na muna pumunta sa kanyang supposed-to-be event dahil mino-monitor niya kung ano ang maaaring maging kalagayan ng ating mga kababayan na naipit sa traffic dulot ng surprise rally na ito (The President did not proceed with his scheduled event because he wanted to monitor the situation of Filipinos stranded in traffic caused by the surprise rally)," she said. —AOL, GMA News