ni Lolet Abania | February 13, 2022
Ipinahayag ng Quezon City government na ang isinagawang campaign rally ngayong Linggo na pinangunahan ng mga supporters ni VP at presidential aspirant Leni Robredo at kanyang running mate na si Senador Kiko Pangilinan sa QC Memorial Circle ay lumabag sa maraming COVID-19 restrictions.
Tinukoy ng lokal na gobyerno ng QC ang aktibidad na tinawag na ‘Pink Sunday’ ng mga supporters ng Robredo-Pangilinan tandem, kung saan dumagsa ang tinatayang 7,000 katao, ayon sa pagtaya ng Quezon City Police District.
Sinabi naman ni Robredo sa kanyang speech sa lahat ng dumalo na nasa open-air area, na lumampas aniya ito sa kanilang inaasahang 20,000.
“Unfortunately, today’s ‘Pink Sunday’ event organized by supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Francis Pangilinan resulted in a spillover crowd that violated several restrictions that were mutually agreed upon. While crowd control is a highly complicated aspect of large gatherings, it is a test of discipline for the organizers and attendees to show that their chosen candidates observe the laws of the land,” ayon sa local government ng QC.
“We hope that in the future, all coordinators will take this responsibility more seriously.”
Gayunman, nilinaw ng QC government, na ang naturang reminder o paalala ay para sa lahat ng supporters at organizers, anuman o sinuman ang kanilang napiling kandidato.
“Now that the campaign period for national candidates has officially started, Quezon City is once again honored and thankful to be one of the main venues chosen for rallies and related political gatherings. Rest assured, our Local Government Unit is ready, willing, and able to provide all the necessary assistance to ensure that these activities are safe, and cause minimal inconvenience to the general public,” pahayag ng QC gov’t.
“On that note, we would also like to remind the organizers of these events about the importance of attending our pre-event coordination meetings, and more importantly, about strictly adhering to the agreements outlined in the signed permits,” saad pa ng lokal na pamahalaan.
Gayundin, ayon sa QC government na bawat kandidato ay naka-assign sa parehong venue at parehong concessions, subalit kailangan nilang i-observe ang mga panuntunan para sa kaligtasan ng bawat isa.
“Although NCR (National Capital Region) is currently under the more moderate Alert Level 2, our country is still in the midst of a pandemic,” dagdag nito.
Agad namang humingi ng paumanhin si Atty. Ibarra Gutierrez, spokesperson ni Robredo, dahil sa nangyaring spillover at nangakong gagawin ang mas mabuti para sa lahat.
“We acknowledge the concerns of the Quezon City Government, extend our thanks for its vigilance, and take full responsibility,” ani Gutierrez.
“While the organizers ensured that access to the immediate vicinity of the program proper was limited, and that all attendees were advised to bring vaccination cards and observe health protocols, the sheer number of people that arrived was a challenge, for which we apologize,” sabi pa ni Gutierrez.