IF Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada had his way, the Manila Police District deserves more than an “A” grade in helping secure the recently concluded Asean Summit hosted by the country.
Estrada commended the performance of the city police force, especially with what he called their efficient handling of various protest rallies in the streets of Manila that reports said had caused injuries to at least 28 policemen.
“They deserve more than an ‘A’ for exercising maximum tolerance during those street rallies and protecting the foreign dignitaries who stayed in the City of Manila. Job very well done,” Estrada said amid persistent criticisms from militant groups that police employed excessive force in dispersing the demonstrations.
“At the risk of their lives and limbs, they stood their ground, preventing the protesters from reaching the Asean [Summit] venues. They are indeed the ‘Manila’s Finest’,” Estrada added.
MPD contributed 2,800 policemen to the 60,000-strong Asean Security Task Force, most of whom were assigned to civil disturbance management units and in area security.
MPD director Chief Supt. Joel Coronel attested to the Manila policemen’s adherence to the maximum tolerance policy along with their counterparts from other units.
“We did our part in managing and controlling the rallies, in securing the summit venues and maintaining peace and order. Yes, we observed maximum tolerance,” he said in an interview.
Coronel said that aside from the rallies, they also secured hotels in Manila, more particularly those where the foreign delegates were billeted.
“In (sic) the part of Manila’s Finest, we did our share in the National Organizing Committee and the Asean Security Task Force in securing the different delegates who stayed here in the City of Manila, particularly in the major hotels”•Manila Hotel, Manila Diamond Hotel, New World Hotel, Pan Pacific Hotel and Century Park Sheraton Hotel,” the MPD chief said.
As to the violent dispersals of the rallies, Coronel pointed out that “we cannot avoid it.”
“If you noticed, during the last days of the summit, there were a lot of rallies. We cannot avoid it. There was some shoving between rallyists and the police,” he said.
“But the police stood their ground. The police prevented the rallyists from going near the ASEAN Summit activities,” Coronel stressed.
Coronel admitted there was “a little inconvenience” because of the rallies but the support of other agencies such as the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the barangays kept it a minimum.
The Philippine National Police had filed complaints against three protest leaders — former Bayan Muna representative Teddy Casino, Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes and Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay – after the November 13 clash of police and protesters at the corner of Taft Avenue and Padre Faura Street.
The police complaint claimed that Casino, Reyes, and Palabay violated the Public Assembly Act of 1985 by committing breach of peace, assault, and disobedience and resistance to authorities.
