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BY AYIN DREAM D. APLASCA
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Friday. September 22, 2017
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I WAS IN a hurry last Wednesday because I still had pleadings and documents to finish. I was thinking I still have work plus court hearings the next day because the President’s declaration of a “national day of protest” (also known as Proclamation 316) was only applicable to the executive branch.
Fortunately, around one o’clock in the afternoon the Supreme Court announced it was allowing the suspension of all courts nationwide due to the fact that 70 percent of these courts were located in local government units’ buildings, thus these were affected by the suspension. I was able to relax then.
Yesterday was not a holiday though we enjoyed a day with no classes and work. It was a day for us to exercise democracy and our freedom. However, the protest was not against the Marcos dictatorship or commemoration of martial law. Rather, it was, as told by President Duterte, “in solidarity with the people’s call against all excesses and shortcomings of the government, and with the people’s desire to uphold the highest standards of integrity, efficiency and accountability in government.”
Some people would say this was just a scheme of the President to avoid the remembrance of the martial law era. Whether this was true or not, at least we were given a day to protest against not only one issue but all issues we have against the government. This was also a chance for us to exercise our freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, and to seek redress for the grievances against the government.
We were privileged to be given one day to exercise our rights, one of which was to voice out our concerns on certain issues.
Of course, these rights were not absolute; although the police were observing maximum restraint, the people were required “to act within the bounds of law, maintain a peaceful conduct of rallies, marches and demonstrations, be vigilant of possible infiltrators who may instigate violence in an effort to provoke the police and other law enforcement authorities and avoid causing any undue inconvenience to their fellow citizens.”
So, how was your day yesterday? Did you join the parliament of the streets?
If you did, you just grabbed the opportunity to exercise your rights freely.
(Atty. Ayin Dream D. Aplasca practices her profession in Iloilo City. She may be reached thru ayindream.aplasca@gmail.com/PN)
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