Police pre-empts huge protest rally in Comval

COMPOSTELA VALLEY, May 23 (PIA):  The Philippine National Police in Compostela Valley was able to stifle this morning a huge mass rally expected to generate about 5,000 participants.

Police provincial director PS Supt. Camilo  Pancratius Cascolan revealed that  he deployed this Thursday morning (May 23) to  the  Municipality of Montevista 250 police personnel to check a protest rally  set at the crossing of national highway going to municipalities of Monkayo  and Compostela.

The unusual number of police deployment to Montevista was  first reported by Montevista Municipal Information Office Edwin Antia who  noted police personnel from  the Police Provincial Office and from other municipal police stations, posting along the highway going to Monkay and Compostela.

“They were posted here since 5:30 a.m. today expecting a huge mass rally,”  he said.

Antia at about 8:00 a.m. had yet to see a huge number of protesters but  he said they  were coming in trickle.

This afternoon,  Antia reported that  the rally pushed  through but with only a few number of participants.

Instead of staging the protest rally at the crossing of the national highway going to the municipalities of Monkayo and Compostela, they moved a little beyond that juncture where the police prevented them from blocking.

Antia reported hearing the protesters questioning the results of the special election in Barangay Gabi of the municipality of Compostela.

“Some of the protesters are from Compostela,”  Antia revealed.

In his police update, PS Supt. Cascolan revealed that the protesters dispersed at  around 2:00 p.m. after vice governor candidate Francisco Tito delivered his speech. 

Details of Tito’s speech was not reported in detail but Cascolan said among the issues raised by the protesters was massive vote-buying in Barangay Gabi where the special election was held.

The proterters were also shouting for the downfall of winning Vice Governor Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora.

Cascolan further revealed that the protest rally was able to start at around 12:00 noon with only about 350  participants. (PIA XI/ jmda with reports from Fe Maestre of PGO-IDS Comval)