The Quezon City government granted the request of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) to obtain a rally permit for Wednesday, July 1, along the stretch of White Plains Avenue to Temple Drive.
In its approval of the permit, the QC Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS) said it has “no objection” to the conduct of a “peaceful rally along White Plains Avenue — Temple Drive” on Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The crowd estimate of the protesters who gathered in the vicinity of the EDSA People Power Monument in Quezon City rose to 13,000 on Tuesday afternoon, impeding traffic as Metro Manila moved closer to its rush hour grind.
Police Major General Anthony Aberin, regional director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said this was the count as of 3 p.m., or about 13 hours since they started gathering in the area.
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on Tuesday said it is intensifying its monitoring of various social media platforms as thousands of people gathered at EDSA for a protest rally.
In a statement, the CICC said, citing analysis by its Threat Monitoring Center’s (TMC), that the majority of monitored online engagements consisted of media coverage of the protest and traffic advisories.
“This was followed by negative public sentiment over the severe traffic congestion caused by the unexpected gathering on the major thoroughfare and the subsequent road closures it triggered,” the agency said.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) advised motorists to avoid the northbound and southbound lanes of EDSA amid the heavy traffic caused by the gathering of the religious group Iglesia ni Cristo at the People Power Monument on Monday.
“Sa EDSA northbound, asahan ang matinding pagbagal ng daloy ng trapiko dahil sa mga raliyista at mga sasakyang nakaparada sa kahabaan ng White Plains Avenue,” the advisory said.
(On EDSA northbound, expect extremely slow traffic flow due to protesters and vehicles parked along White Plains Avenue.)
Four individuals have been arrested in the ongoing EDSA rally, according to the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Tuesday.
NCRPO spokesperson Police Major Hazel Asilo said those arrested include the driver of a bus that allegedly moved back and forth, causing a police officer to get pinned. One individual is accused of punching a police officer, and two others were involved in an earlier commotion, according to an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.
Authorities are still verifying whether all four individuals are members of the Iglesia ni Cristo.
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson expressed confidence Tuesday that Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla would not cave in to the pressure of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) amid its ongoing rally in support of Senator Rodante Marcoleta.
“Ombudsman Boying is tough as a Caviteño will always be. I trust that he won’t cave in to the INC rallies and pressure – not today, not tomorrow and certainly not when Senator Marcoleta’s plunder case is filed in court as earlier announced,” Lacson said on X (formerly Twitter).
“His INC backers may block EDSA all they want and cause traffic jams and chaos to the discomfort of ordinary commuters. Surely, the PNP will be there to maintain peace and order,” he added.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are closely coordinating in monitoring the ongoing EDSA rally as they urge participants to maintain peace and order in their activity.
PNP assured that personnel deployed in EDSA and other key areas, including the People Power Monument, EDSA Shrine, the Senate of the Philippines, Mendiola, Ayala Bridge, the U.S. Embassy, Liwasang Bonifacio, were instructed to exercise “maximum tolerance.”
“The PNP recognizes and respects the constitutional right of every Filipino to peacefully assemble and express their views. Police personnel deployed on the ground have been instructed to exercise maximum tolerance, remain impartial, uphold human rights, and carry out their duties with professionalism and restraint,” it said in a statement.
“The PNP likewise calls on all participants to keep the activity peaceful and orderly and encourages the public to cooperate with authorities and observe traffic advisories in areas affected by the assembly,” the PNP added.
The Philippine National Police has mobilized additional personnel from Central Luzon and Calabarzon to augment security forces deployed for the mass gathering near the EDSA People Power Monument on Tuesday, as the National Capital Region Police Office was placed on full alert status.
According to a report by Mark Makalalad, PNP chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the augmentation includes personnel from the Police Regional Office 3 and Police Regional Office 4A, along with the National Support Unit and other Camp Crame-based units tasked to assist in securing the gathering supposedly led by members of the Iglesia ni Cristo.
Some 10,000 protesters have gathered near the EDSA People Power Monument in Quezon City as of late morning Tuesday, Super Radyo dzBB reported, quoting police estimates.
According to a radio report by Mark Makalalad, the Quezon City Police District said the crowd size has grown to the 10,000 mark by 11 a.m., some nine hours since they started converging in the area.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Ret. Gen. Nicolas Torre III on Tuesday said the gathering near the EDSA People Power Monument had no permit and disrupted operations along the EDSA Busway after participants allegedly occupied portions of the exclusive lane.
In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Torre said the gathering centered on the People Power Monument, prompting the closure of White Plains Avenue, while only the northbound EDSA Busway remained passable in the area.
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