On October 20, activists held a rally in front of the United States Embassy in Manila. The rally suddenly turned chaotic when the left-wing group resisted police dispersal. Philippine Senators requested an immediate investigation regarding the violent crowd dispersal on Wednesday.
The minority group supports President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to end U.S. troop’s joint military exercises. The activists also back the president foreign policy to end the country’s economic dependency with the US.
President Rodrigo Duterte is presently visiting Beijing for a four-day state visit when the incident happened. Still in Beijing, he ordered a direct probe regarding the dispersal which caused injuries to both parties.
Violent Dispersal
On a video taken during the violent dispersal, a police van can be seen accelerating into a line of left wing activists. Several protesters were rammed by the vehicle leaving a mass of protesters wounded.
He also pointed out that if the driver wanted to kill the protesters, he would have really hit them. Pedroso said in an interview, “Please get the driver’s side of the story. If he intended to kill, he should have gone straight without stopping.”
PNP Chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa said, “I’ve seen the video and it makes me sad and furious at the same time. I saw people get hurt. I reallly hate seeing fellow Filipinos getting hurt”. Dela Rosa is in China as part the delegation of President Rodrigo Duterte.
- Warning: Video contains graphic scenes
However, Dela Rosa defended the driver of the police van, PO3 Franklin Kho. In an interview, the PNP Chief Director said, “The driver panicked because the mob swarmed his vehicle and they trying to roll it over. He wanted to extricate from the area…..from the violent crowd”.
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson cried foul over the Philippine National Police “police brutality” accusations. Lacson was the Former Chief of Police and now an incumbent senator in the Philippines.
The senator also defended the driver; he claimed that the driver was “threatened by the possibility of being lynched by the protesters”.
Senators’ reaction
Senator Miguel Zubiri questioned the PNP’s statement for ensuring maximum tolerance during the rally. The Senator said in an interview, “Even during Martial Law, protesters have always known that police and protesters can always negotiate for events covered & even outside if their rally permits.”
President Rodrigo Duterte’s known rival, Senator Leila De Lima asked the PNP Chief Bato Dela Rosa for an abrupt inquiry regarding the incident. Two other senators shared De Lima’s sentiment. The Senate President Koko Pimentel III and Senator Nancy Binay also called for a comprehensive review of the law enforcement’s action during the dispersal.
However, Senator Pimentel III, advised the community not to jump into any conclusions without knowing all the facts about the incidence. He said, “The video on its own is very disturbing, but is not the whole picture. We must not pass judgment until we know the whole story.”
PNP Chief Dela Rosa decided that eight Manila Police District (MPD) officers including the driver will be put on administrative leave. However, NCRPO Director Chief Supt. Oscar Albayalde confirmed that the police officers had been relieved from the service.
The post Dispersal at the US Embassy in Manila Turns Violent appeared first on Newsline.
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