MANILA — The Office of the Prosecutor of Manila dismissed the illegal assembly charges against the 10 senatorial candidates of the Makabayan bloc, and other progressive leaders.

In its resolution, the Manila City Office of the Prosecutor states that there is ‘insufficient evidence to indict the respondents with violations of Batas Pambansa Blg. 880.’ 

“Complainants allege that the event was not peaceful as police officers were injured. However, no proof of the said injury was presented other than the mere allegation,”  the resolution further reads.

The charges stemmed from the November 30 protest commemorating the birth anniversary of national hero Andres Bonifacio in Mendiola, Manila. The Manila Police District stated in their complaint that the protesters, headed by Kilusang Mayo Uno’s (KMU) Elmer Labog, forced their way through the Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) formation, allegedly assaulting and injuring members of the CDM. The PNP also accused Bayan Muna organizer Nilo Montiferto of assaulting a police officer.

Read: Manila police wields Martial Law-era law against 10 Makabayan senatorial bets 

The Office of the Prosecutor said that the After Monitoring Report submitted by the Manila Police District as evidence merely identified the Makabayan senatoriables as present during the protest rally, and no further evidence was presented that they were the actual organizers.

“Mere presence or being a participant in an otherwise peaceful assembly does not make one liable for Violations of Section 13,” the resolution further adds.

The National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) welcomes the resolution for dismissing the ‘baseless charges’ of violating Pambansa Blg. 880 (BP 880), a relic of the Marcos Sr. dictatorship.

“The dismissal, based on insufficiency of evidence, affirms what we have asserted from the beginning,” said NUPL Secretary General Josalee S. Deinla in a statement.

“These charges were nothing more than a brazen attempt to weaponize the law to silence progressive leaders and derail their electoral bids,” she added.

NUPL further argued that the dismissal of the case should serve as a call to finally repeal BP 880, which, she said, “has repeatedly enabled the criminalization of peaceful assembly and legitimate dissent and is something that is continuously wielded against activists and opposing figures.”

“This victory is not just for the Makabayan candidates but for all Filipinos who uphold fundamental freedom. However, it does not erase the injustice of these charges being filed in the first place,” said NUPL.

“We must remain vigilant against all efforts to weaponize the law to curtail civil liberties, disenfranchise the people, and harass leaders who genuinely champion their democratic aspirations,” the group concluded. (RVO)