Students defy rally ban, hold anti-1017 protest
Iloilo -- Some fifty students from various universities here defied the ban against rallies by holding a protest calling for the lifting of Proclamation 1017.
At around 3 p.m. yesterday, students from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas, University of San Agustin and West Visayas State University, and members of Anakbayan converged along the Gen. Luna street gate of the UPV Molo campus.
There were no police personnel within the area. Karen Edaniel, one of the protesters, told The News Today that a police car passed by them while they were holding their protest. Fortunately for them, they were not dispersed.
Yesterday afternoon's scene was in stark contrast to that during the weekend. Last Saturday, about 2 p.m., a Civil Disturbance Unit from the Iloilo City Police Office blocked about 200 protesters from Sanlakas and its allied groups marching to the Provincial Capitol grounds to hold a protest.
Then at around 7 p.m. that same day, City Police Director, Senior Superintendent Norlito Bautista barred protesters numbering about 100 belonging to the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan from holding a rally on the same place.
In a related development, the UPV community forged an alliance against Proclamation 1017 yesterday.
Gretchen Velarde, secretary general of the UPV-University Student Council, said that they have formed UPV Students, Teachers, Personnel Opposed to 1017 (UPV STOP 1017) to call for the lifting of Arroyo's questionable declaration, which placed the Philippines under a state of national emergency. Copies of its manifesto have started going around UPV's Miag-ao and Molo campuses.