Protesters to defy Senate rally ban

Anti-Estrada groups will defy any order by the impeachment tribunal to ban them from demonstrating in front of the Senate while the trial of President Estrada is going on.

Last Monday, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. asked the impeachment court to prohibit protests outside the Senate building after an employee, Mohammed Adam, was mauled by a largely leftist mob.

Pimentel told reporters "some ruffians tried to forcibly enter" the garage of the building, triggering the violence in which Adam was punched and harassed.

"A warning will have to be issued that the Senate may be compelled to consider placing restrictions on the right of demonstrators to make demonstrations in front of or near the Senate building," he said.

Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., the impeachment court’s presiding officer, said noise coming from the protesters "had been disrupting the proceedings here."

Crispin Beltran, chairman of the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno, told reporters yesterday no ruling from "the highest seat of power" is above the people’s "inalienable right" to assemble and protest against a "corrupt and unjust" government.

"We will not allow the Senate to curb our democratic rights to peaceably assemble and hold rallies at the Philippine Senate during the trial against (Mr.) Estrada," he said.

On the other hand, Robert de Castro, Promotion of Church People’s Response secretary general, said Pimentel and Davide cannot "curtail" their constitutional rights to express themselves and hold peaceful demonstrations.

"We will never allow them to strip us of these rights," he said. "We are ready to assert our rights and fight for them."

For his part, Rafael Mariano, chairman of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, warned that banning rallies in front of the Senate violates fundamental civil and political rights.

"The two gentlemen’s proposal gives the President what he has long wanted: a reprieve from protest actions," he said. "We will not be a party to that especially when the impeachment trial is now revealing the most revolting evidence justifying our calls."

Satur Ocampo, Bayan Muna president, challenged Pimentel and Davide to call for a hearing on Monday’s incident to prove that his comrades-in-arms did not cause the violence.

"We are ready to appear before Pimentel and Davide to disprove their baseless assertions against the protesters," he said. "The people must not allow the Senate to ban rallies on the pretext of maintaining order."

Beltran blamed Adam for Monday’s violent incident at the Senate, saying the driver tried to run over the demonstrators with the bus he was driving.

"The drunken driver intended to run us over and he was armed with a steel pipe and an icepick which he threatened Bayan secretary general Teddy Casiño and Promotion of Church People’s Response secretary general Robert de Castro," he said.

Beltran and De Castro accused Adam of being "part of a plot" to stop anti-Estrada protests, and that the incident could be used to justify the banning of rallies in front of the Senate.

Beltran said militant organizations have vowed to hold more and bigger mass actions at the Senate to press for the resignation of the Chief Executive.

Beltran also assailed Davide for favoring Pimentel’s suggestions that demonstrations in front of Senate building be prohibited. – Sandy Araneta, Mayen Jaymalin