The Hakbang ng Maisug prayer for peace rally to be attended by former president Rodrigo Duterte will push through at the Freedom Park in front of the Negros Oriental Capitol in Dumaguete City at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7, former presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.
“We don’t need a permit to use a freedom park”, Roque told DIGICAST NEGROS.
Roque issued the statement after the Dumaguete City government revoked a permit for the prayer rally at Pantawan 3, Dumaguete City.
Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo told DIGICAST NEGROS a certain Rev. Ed Samson applied for a permit for the prayer rally on May 7, which was granted on April 16.
On May 3 another person, Benjamin Villa, wrote the city police seeking security assistance because former president Duterte and other VIPs would be attending the prayer rally, Remollo said.
The police then informed the mayor in a letter on May 3 that because of short notice they cannot provide adequate security, without augmentation, for the former president, the mayor said.
“In same letter, the police asked me to reconsider the grant of permit. I directed the city administrator to relay the information to Rev. Samson who said that he is distancing himself from the rally and that he is no longer in charge”, Remollo said.
On May 4 another group requested a dialog with him, which he obliged, the mayor said.
They confirmed that Samson was no longer involved in the prayer rally.
“I told them that the permit for prayer rally was given to Rev. Samson as the focal person of the event. So if the new group wants they should apply for another permit and be the focal persons for the event and sign an undertaking that they will be the ones responsible for security arrangements and show proof that they have the means and capability to do it in view of the recommendation of the chief of police,” the mayor said.
The new group refused to apply for a permit, he said.
“I cannot take the security concerns of no less than the former president Rodrigo Duterte and other VIPs and the general public lightly. At the end of the day it would be still my responsibility for any security lapses,” Remollo said, in explaining the revocation of the original rally permit.
Roque said he and Duterte were already in Dumaguete on Monday night and the rally would not be cancelled.
Roque, in a radio interview, said contrary to the police chief’s claim the former president does not need a lot of security to attend a rally because he is well loved by the people.*