Reyes: ‘I was not even present at the SONA rally’

The Quezon city Police District (QCPD) filed another case against Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) connected with the burning of a political effigy at the People’s State of the Nation protests last July 24.

BAYAN president Renato Reyes Jr. said another harassment suit was filed against him and artist Max Santiago by the police dated August 24.

The police charged Santiago and three other “John Does” from BAYAN Southern Tagalog of violating the Ecological Waste Management Act (Republic Act9003) and the Clean Air Act (RA 8749) also last August.

Reyes said that the second case invoked the Public Assembly Act (Batas Pambansa 880), accusing him of supervising the burning of the effigy showing a two-faced Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who invokes unity while involved in corruption.

But Reyes said he was not event present at the rally and that his name was only hand-written on the cover page of the second complaint.

“This is clearly a harassment suit because I wasn’t even present at the SONA rally. I was on a trip abroad. I was already mid-air when the rally happened,” Reyes said.

Reyes said the “trumped-up complaint” seemed to be in retaliation for their public statements exposing the QCPD for its harassment of Max and our members from Bayan Southern Tagalog.

“When we spoke out, they filed another complaint. Fascists being fascists,” he said.

READ: Groups defend artist from QCPD’s ‘harassment suit’

Reyes said they are consulting their lawyers regarding the new suit and will likewise file complaints against complainants Police Staff Sargeant Mario Sembrano, Police Corporal Paolo Navarro and whoever ordered them to file the case.

“I challenge the QCPD to produce any picture of me at the SONA rally last July 2023,” Reyes added. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)