Protests vs corruption peaceful – police

By Ernie Delgado

LEGAZPI CITY --- The November 30 protests against corruption in the Bicol region concluded peacefully, with the police reporting no incidents of unrest.

“Our personnel were deployed in key areas, and no untoward incidents occurred,” Brigadier General Nestor Babagay Jr., director of the Police Regional Office, told the Philippine Information Agency.

To maintain order and ensure the safety of all participants and the general public, the police implemented “proactive” measures, according to Babagay.

Around 4,000 protesters from various sectors gathered at Albay Cathedral in Legazpi City and marched with banners to Legazpi Rotonda, demanding that the government eliminate corruption associated with a multibillion-peso flood control scandal involving contractors, politicians, Department of Public Works and Highways officials, and other conspirators.

In Camarines Sur, several groups affiliated with the organization that held a rally at Luneta in Manila also marched and protested in Naga City.

On Saturday, the Bikol Laban sa Korapsyon, part of the Trillion Peso March, held a protest march and prayer rally in Naga City.

Photos shared on social media showed Babagay personally overseeing police operations during the demonstrations in Legazpi and Naga cities.

Babagay emphasized that the police upheld the protesters’ right to peaceful assembly while ensuring public order during the events.

To further enhance security, police were deployed in population centers throughout Bicol in preparation for the mass actions. (PIA Bicol/Masbate)