Up to local government, not cops, to allow SONA protests or not

Police follow a group of protesters (R) as they stage a rally calling on new Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to bring down the price of rice in Manila on July 4, 2022.

AFP / Jam Sta. Rosa

MANILA, Philippines — It is actually up to the local government of Quezon City to decide on whether protests on the day of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first State of the Nation Address will be allowed along Commonwealth Avenue and not the Philippine National Police, which has declared the highway a "no-rally" zone anyway.

Section 6(a) of Batas Pambansa 880 or the Public Assembly Act of 1985 provides that the "mayor or any official acting in his behalf to issue or grant a permit unless there is clear and convincing evidence that the public assembly will create a clear and present danger to public order, public safety, public convenience, public morals or public health."

Permits are not needed for assemblies at designated freedom parks, like Liwasang Diokno in the Commission on Human Rights grounds along Commonwealth.

Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/07/20/2196785/local-government-not-cops-allow-sona-protests-or-not