Cops break up assembly at SC, some rallyists linked to PECO

The Manila police barricaded the street in front of the Supreme Court yesterday morning to stop a group rooting for power utility firm Panay Electric Co. (PECO).

To note, PECO has a pending case with the SC questioning the congressional franchise granted MORE Power, which now runs power distribution services in Iloilo City.

Manila Police Department (MPD) Station 5 commander Lt. Col. Ariel Caramoan said police were deployed to protect the Supreme Court from rallyists as mandated by the omnibus guidelines issued by the national government amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fifty-five police personnel from MPD’s Station 5 said any gathering by any group is prohibited by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Managing Emerging Infectious Diseases while the community quarantine is in effect.

Any violators of the ongoing prohibition on mass gathering and failure to comply with physical distancing rules could be arrested and jailed for illegal assembly under the Revised Penal Code, Caramoan said.

The group identified as the Ilonggo Consumers Movement sent an invitation to the media to cover their protest action before the Supreme Court, according to Tuesday Calma, who identified herself as the coordinator of the group.

Calma said they wanted to rally the SC to act on PECO’s case against MORE Power. They also wanted to protest the way PECO lost its control of the electricity distribution business in Iloilo City.

She said her group decided to cancel its rally and proceed to the nearby Max’s Restaurant instead to hold a media conference.

“The guard in the Supreme Court gate forbid us from holding any protest action which the police confirmed. They asked us to leave so we left,” Calma said.

Calma admitted that while she and her companions were protesting the issue in Iloilo City, they are not actual residents of Iloilo City as they live in Manila.

She denied any connection with PECO, although she admitted they were holding the protest action to press the Supreme Court to act soon on the case filed by PECO against MORE Power.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has cancelled PECO’s provision Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) after MORE Power took control of the operations of the city’s distribution system on orders of the Regional Trial Court in Iloilo.

MORE Power secured the franchise from Congress after the Senate and the House of Representatives refused to act on PECO’s application for the renewal of its franchise in view of numerous complaints from Iloilo consumers on the alleged bad quality of service provided to consumers, the high rates it charged, and the numerous incidents of erroneous billings that remain unpaid until now.

PECO’s franchise expired in January 2019 while the Iloilo City government revoked its business permit early this year for lack of franchise and CPCN.

Aside from Calma, only three other members of the Iloilo Consumers Group faced the media during the press conference where they gave out press releases and posed for photographers while holding a placard with the slogan “No to More Power in Iloilo.”

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said the group is welcome in Manila but they cannot hold any mass action since it is prohibited during the COVID-19 pandemic health emergency.

“They are all welcome in Manila at any given time, my only request is don’t do any protest action now because we will implement what we have to do, and I hope this will be a fair warning. If protesters conduct gatherings and violate policies, then we will have to do his job to protect Manilenyos,” Moreno told the media.

MPD Director General Rolando Miranda said the police will follow the directive of the government to prohibit any mass gatherings to protect the public from and contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. (With a report from remate.ph)