Nagbabala ang isang samahan ng mga abogado sa Philippine National Police (PNP) laban sa pag-aaresto at pagbubuwag sa mga nagpoprotesta sa panahon ng State of the Nation Address (SONA) ni President Duterte sa Lunes, Hulyo 27.

“Before the PNP even considers dispersing, arresting, or in any way interfering with rallies on July 27, they should bear in mind that, in doing so, they would themselves be violating the clear letter of the law,” sinabi ng National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) sa isang pahayag.

Idiniin ng grupo na ang mamamayan ay mayroong “right to peaceably assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Binanggit ng NUPL na ang Section 9 ng Batas Pambansa Blg. 880, o mas kilala bilang Public Assembly Act, ay nagsasaad na ang “law enforcement agencies – and that includes the PNP – shall NOT interfere with the holding of a public assembly.”

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Naglabas ng pahayag ang grupo bilang tugon sa deklarasyon ng PNP na ipinagbabawal ang mga rally sa panahon ng SONA batay sa advisory nitong Hulyo 23 ng Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) na binabanggit ang Resolution No. 57 noong Hulyo 21 ng Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

“No DILG advisory or IATF memorandum will shelter them from criminal, civil, and administrative liability if and when they do decide to run roughshod on people’s rights,” babala ng NUPL.

“Neither the DILG nor the IATF is above the law; and neither has the power to change or ignore it at will, as the DILG appears to be doing by issuing its July 23 advisory,” dagdah dito.

Ayon sa NUPL “an advisory cannot be the basis to deny the issuance of a rally permit or to interfere with a public assembly.”