November 27, 2024 | 12:47pm
MANILA, Philippines — After hundreds of Vice President Sara Duterte’s supporters flocked to the EDSA Shrine on Tuesday, November 26, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported that around 100 camped overnight.
As of 6 a.m. on Wednesday, November 27, the PNP counted about 100 people resting behind the EDSA Shrine along Ortigas Avenue after staying overnight.
“As of 6:00 a.m., nasa around 100 ang nandun. Ang iba pa po sa kanila ay natutulog at nagpapahinga po because nag-stay sila overnight,” Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo said in an interview with DZBB Super Radyo 594.
(As of 6:00 a.m. there were around 100 people there. Some of them were sleeping and resting because they stayed overnight.)
The vice president’s supporters gathered at the shrine after Malacañang, the House of Representatives and various law enforcement agencies responded to the death threats Duterte made around midnight on November 23.
The National Bureau of Investigation issued a subpoena, ordering her appearance at the agency’s headquarters on Friday, November 29, to explain to them directly about the statements she made.
RELATED: Marcos fires back at VP Sara: ‘Ang katotohanan ay hindi dapat i-tokhang’
Since EDSA Shrine’s management gave the supporters permission to hold a protest there, Fajardo said the police has been instructed only to “maintain peace and order in the area” and ensure that traffic is unaffected.
Fajardo clarified that the PNP will only intervene in their protest if the hundreds of supporters go beyond the boundary set by the EDSA Shrine management or cause heavy traffic along nearby roads.
“That’s precisely the reason kung bakit minemaintain natin yung security coverage to make sure na hindi sila lalagpas sa boundary ng pagpayag ng management ng EDSA Shrine,” she said.
(That’s precisely the reason why we maintain security coverage—to ensure they do not go beyond the boundary allowed by the EDSA Shrine management.)
She also refuted claims that the Bureau of Fire Protection’s (BFP) firetruck dispersed the supporters on Tuesday night, explaining that it was deployed as a “precautionary measure” due to the candle-lighting protest held by Duterte’s supporters.
“The reason kung bakit nagpadala ang BFP ng fire truck dahil po nag candle-lighting po sila doon. And as a matter for precautionary measure ay naglagay sila ng firetruck in case biglang magkaroon ng insidente relating doon sa candle lighting ay madali pong makaresponde ang ating mga bombero,” Fajardo said.
(The reason the BFP sent a fire truck was because they were holding a candle-lighting event. And as a precautionary measure, they stationed a fire truck there so that in case an incident related to the candle lighting occurred, our firefighters could respond quickly.)
Why Duterte supporters are protesting
During a late-night press conference on November 22, Duterte voiced her deep-seated anger and frustration toward President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
She cursed at them and explicitly said that she already hired someone to murder Marcos, the First Lady, and Romualdez should she die. Duterte even said, “No joke,” twice. However, she claims her statement was “taken out of context.”
RELATED: Sara Duterte gets technical: ‘I never used the word assassin’
Duterte reached her breaking point when the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability ordered the transfer of her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, to the Correctional Institution for Women during her detention.
The lower chamber has been investigating the Office of the Vice President’s and Department of Education’s use of P612.5 million confidential funds.
House lawmakers flagged the rather lenient handling of confidential funds to informants and payees, after learning that the special disbursing officers delegated their responsibility to designated security officers.
RELATED: DepEd, OVP disbursing officers: ‘Security officers’ handled confidential funds
The good government panel also believes there are issues with the accounting of confidential expenses, citing inconsistencies and “fictitious” names found in acknowledgment receipts.
Be the first to comment