League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) President and Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan has denounced the violent dispersal of unarmed demonstrators in front of the United States Embassy on Wednesday.
Pamintuan, together with former LCP President and Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, “express our indignation and deep concern over the violence that occurred during the police dispersal last Wednesday.”
“We deplore, most specifically, what we view as the deliberate mowing down of rallyists by a police van driven by a police officer. What we clearly saw in the video, now being viewed in websites of news agencies worldwide, was an unnecessary — even excessive — use of force that hurt, and endangered the lives of, unarmed demonstrators who were supportive of the President’s call for an independent foreign policy,” the two government officials echoed.
Both Pamintuan and Bautista called for an impartial probe into the violent dispersal involving the Philippine National Police.
“We call for an impartial investigation of this very unfortunate incident. If indeed they violated the rules of engagement on maximum tolerance, the commander of the police unit and driver of the van should be made answerable and must be appropriately charged,” they said.
The two mayors have called for “calm and sobriety.” “We hope that the incident will not derail us from our endeavor of seeking just and lasting peace.”