QC gov’t reports NCRPO cops in videoke session during SONA protest

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City government has reported the public’s concerns about the police force having a videoke session while protesters conduct a rally in Commonwealth Avenue to the Philippine National Police, hours before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

Twitter user Rachelle Villamor (@RachVillamor) posted a video of an alleged Quezon City Police District cops (QCPD) in a patrol vehicle singing "Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project while the Southern Luzon activists composed of farmers and youth launched a program to express their concerns to the government.

NAPAKABASTOS ng @ProudToBeQCPD. Habang naglulunsad ng programa ang mga magsasaka at kabataan mula sa Southern Tagalog para ipahayag ang kalagayan at mga isyung bitbit nila ngayong araw, imbes na pakinggan, NAG-VIVIDEOKE ang QCPD para hindi marinig ang programa ng mamamayan. pic.twitter.com/Kjyuz7boSX

— Rachelle Villamor (@RachVillamor) July 24, 2023

"NAPAKABASTOS ng @ProudToBeQCPD. Habang naglulunsad ng programa ang mga magsasaka at kabataan mula sa Southern Tagalog para ipahayag ang kalagayan at mga isyung bitbit nila ngayong araw, imbes na pakinggan, NAG-VIVIDEOKE ang QCPD para hindi marinig ang programa ng mamamayan," Villamor said in a tweet.

(“@ProudToBeQCPD is too disrespectful. While the farmers and youth from Southern Tagalog’s are voicing out their dire situation and issues, members of the QCPD are having a videoke session so that they could not hear the programs of the citizens.)

In a tweet, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte responded to this and said that the mayor’s office has received the concerns.

She also said the city government conducted an investigation and found that the cops in the video are from the National Capital Region Police Office and not QCPD.

“Ang inyong concern ay aming ipinahatid na sa PNP upang maaksyunan, at para masigurado na magiging malaya at mapayapa ang pagpapahayag ng mga raliyista sa kanilang mga hinaing,” Belmonte’s Twitter page admin tweeted.

(Your concerns are already brought to the attention of the PNP so that they could address them and ensure that the activists will be free and peaceful to express their grievances)

Several activist groups marched along Quezon City on Monday for the People's SONA protest on the day of Marcos' SONA, where he discusses issues and the government's plans for the entire year. —Intern, Bless Aubrey Ogerio