Meanwhile, opposition Sen. Jamby Madrigal, one of those hurt by the firemen’s water cannon, said the violent dispersal of the Catholic bishops-led prayer rally on C. M. Recto Ave. in Manila she and Guingona joined "is a dark period in Philippine history."
Sen. Luisa "Loi" Ejercito Estrada also called the dispersal of protesters by water cannons as violative of the Bill of Rights and the rule of law.
Pimentel said he supports Madrigal’s plan to lodge a formal protest with the United Nations against the Arroyo administration’s policy of breaking up peaceful protest rallies which constitutes a breach of the UN Convention on Human Rights to which the Philippines is a signatory.
Pangilinan urged Malacañang to ease up on its hard-line stance against protest-rallies.
"In the light of the latest dispersal of participants in a peaceful religious march in Mendiola, I urge Malacañang to withdraw its CPR (calibrated pre-emptive response) policy. As a former student activist myself, I believe that Malacañang is wrong if it thinks CPR will stop the rallyists from going to the streets," Pangilinan said.
"It, in fact, has had the opposite effect. CPR will ensure that the rallyists will keep coming back. Unfortunately for Malacañang it should now expect a bigger march to be held to denounce this last dispersal," he stressed.
"CPR has energized and will ignite an otherwise lethargic parliament of the streets. The situation can only escalate further and if CPR is not withdrawn, it may graduate into violence of the streets," he added.
Pimentel lambasted the Arroyo administration’s "policy of using brute force to clamp down on the people’s exercise of democratic right to protest against misrule and injustice after they were denied the legal avenue to press charges against and seek the removal of an undeserving President through impeachment."
The use of water cannons to break up the harmless protesters only shows that the highest political leadership has no compunction for employing fascistic methods against the people just to stay in power, he said.
"Hosing Senator Madrigal, former Vice President Guingona, the bishops, priests, nuns and concerned citizens provokes the people’s patience to breaking point. Gloria and her minions will rue this day," Pimentel stressed.
Administration Sen. Ralph G. Recto advised the Executive Branch yesterday to simply ignore marches to Malacañang and not to use water cannons on demonstrators because "history has shown that the water you use to disperse citizens has an uncanny way of returning as a tidal wave of popular anger."
"Minimum tolerance of rallies is giving maximum publicity to the groups holding them. A march of 50 persons can’t bring down the government but the incommensurate response of the police gives the impression that the Republic is about to fall," Recto said.
Loi: Violent dispersal
hampers efforts for
national reconciliation
By BRENDA PIQUERO
Sen. Loi Estrada yesterday said the Arroyo administration’s violent dispersal of peaceful demonstrations to air valid grievances violates provisions of the Bill of Rights upholding the Rule of Law and basic human rights.
"In the government’s desire to quell the Filipinos’ right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly, it has forgotten that such basic right seeking to redress grievances is recognized and guaranteed by constitutions of democratic countries of the world and by the United Nations," Mrs. Estrada said.
Mrs. Estrada reminded the Arroyo government of the advocacy of retired Supreme Court Justice Cecilia Muñoz-Palma that "freedoms of thought, speech and expression are essential parts of a democratic free society, and among the most precious rights of man."
The opposition lady senator issued the statements following what she described as "Friday’s barbaric water hosing of peaceful demonstrators led by my fellow legislator, Senator Jamby Madrigal" who were on their way to a church near Malacañang.
Madrigal, together with former Vice-President Teofisto Guingona Jr., former Executive Secretary Oscar Orbos and party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo led a group of rallyists who gathered in Plaza Miranda in Quiapo and then proceeded to San Beda chapel along Mendiola.
"For a member of the Senate, a former Vice-President, a Congressman and a former executive secretary to be water-cannoned by the police in their exercise of basic freedoms, it is a rude awakening to abuse of authority and the true state of the country’s democratic process," Mrs. Estrada said.
Friday’s violent dispersal following a series of similar incidences, according to Mrs. Estrada, will hamper Malacañang’s alleged effort to forge national reconciliation.
"The Arroyo government has indeed taken a thousand steps backward to the call of unity and national reconciliation," Mrs. Estrada said.
