Protesters march along Osmeña Boulevard in Cebu City on May 1, 2019. | CDN file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Fourteen members of the Alyansa sa mga Mamumuo sa Sugbo-Kilusang Mayo Uno (AMA-Sugbo-KMU) and Bayan Central Visayas did not make it to the Fuente Osmeña Circle, the assembly area for their Labor Day march scheduled this Saturday morning, May 1.
Jaime Paglinawan, AMA-Sugbo-KMU and Bayan Central Visayas chairman, claimed that their members were arrested by policemen in Cebu City and are now detained at the gymnasium in Barangay Cogon Ramos.
Emman, one of those arrested by the police, told CDN Digital in a phone interview that he was on a bus with 13 others when they were stopped by policemen along Mango Avenue in Cebu City. They were asked “if they were headed for the Fuente Osmeña rally?”
“Social distancing ila girason namo pero diha raman mi nila gidakop atong niingon mi nga padung mi sa katong mga activities,” Emman said.
(We were arrested for social distancing violations, but they only made the arrest after we confirmed that we were attending [Labor Day] activities.)
Their group, Emman said, consisted of workers, urban poor community members, women and elderly who came from Lapu-Lapu City and were headed for the Fuente Osmeña Circle.
Emman they were first brought to the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) located along Osmeña Boulevard before they were brought to the Ramos gymnasium.
He alleged that their arrest was made to prevent them from joining Labor Day activities.
Since its Labor Day, Emman is asking the police to allow workers to celebrate their day by voicing out their grievances against the government’s anti-labor policies. / dcb