Police stage concert to deter Cagayan de Oro street protests on SONA 2023 day

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Police resorted to a subtle way of preventing local activists from taking to the streets in the heart of the city in time for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 24.

Authorities occupied Kiosko Kagawasan in Divisoria, the traditional venue for rallies in Cagayan de Oro, where they staged a variety show and peace concert from morning until Marcos started delivering his annual address at the Batasang Pambansa in the afternoon.

The police move prevented any plans by Cagayan de Oro’s progressive groups to hold their alternative SONA, traditionally organized by local activists, where leaders from different sectors take turns in presenting what they think is the real state of the country.

Organized by the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo), the variety show and concert were a prelude to SONA, said Major Sebastian Chua, city police director for community affairs.

The variety show featured modern and indigenous dances, and song performances by representatives of various police stations in the city, including civilians.

Staff Sergeant Ronald Robles said it was the second time the Cagayan de Oro police organized a variety show and peace concert in time for Marcos’ SONA.

Lawyer Beverly Selim-Musni, secretary-general of the Union of People’s Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM) in Cagayan de Oro, said it would have been better if the city government hosted the program.

“Organizing a real people’s SONA would have been a commendable move on the part of the city government, instead of delegating the matter to the police that came up with a variety show instead,” Musni told Rappler.

She said local progressive groups found it hard to organize an alternative SONA like in the past owing to what she called “undemocratic state-sponsored attacks against activists, such as filing trumped-up charges against people’s organizations and red-tagging.”

“Systematic attacks on the peoples’ organizations through raids, killings, red and terrorist-tagging have undermined the peoples’ rights to assemble, express, and seek redress for everything that the government has done wrong throughout the years. These diminished the capability of the people to mount people’s Sona,” Musni said.

Musni said the government should be held accountable through public assemblies.

“The absence of people-led SONAs in the streets could not hide massive poverty and poor social services endured by the people before and under the Marcos regime,” she said. – Rappler.com