Activists and progressive advocates of pro-people issues are bound to be hauled to court, sooner or later.
And that will soon happen to Mario Valbuena, leader of MANIBELA, and his two other followers.
The Quezon City Police Department (QCPD) has filed criminal charges against transport organization leader Mario Valbuena for holding a rally in protest of the government’s public utility vehicle modernization program (PUVMP).
This, even as Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors recommended the filing of cyber-libel charges against Valbuena, head of transport group Manibela, over his allegations of corruption against Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.
Batas Pambansa 880
Manibela chairman Valbuena and members Reggie Manlapig and Alvin Reyes are facing cases of violating Batas Pambansa 880 or the Public Assembly Act, alarm and scandal, and resistance and disobedience to persons in authority before the office of the city prosecutor.
Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director, said the criminal complaints were in connection with the rally staged by Manibela on May 6.
Maranan said around 500 protesters held a rally without a permit from the local government. He added the demonstrations also affected the public.
“The rally caused grave inconvenience and disturbance,” he said in a statement.
The QCPD filed similar charges against Manibela in April, accusing the transport group of “disruptive behavior” during its two-day strike at Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City.
Series of rallies
Manibela and another transport group, Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide, have been holding transport strikes to express their opposition to the PUVMP.
The program seeks to replace traditional jeepneys with vehicles that meet the standards set by the Land Transportation Office.
Under the PUVMP, jeepney operators must consolidate their individual franchises into cooperatives or corporations.
The government gave PUV operators until April 30 to either join a cooperative or a corporation or have their vehicles considered “colorum.”
Cyber-libel charge
As this developed, Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors recommended the filing of cyber-libel charges against Mario Valbuena Jr., head of transport group Manibela, over his allegations of corruption against Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.
In a 17-page resolution dated Feb. 22 but made public only recently, Assistant Prosecutor Maria Kristhina Paat-Salumbides said probable cause was established to warrant the filing of a case against Valbuena for two counts of violations of Article 355, in relation to Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code, in further relation to Section 4(c)4 of RA (Republic Act) 10175, or the Cyber Crime Prevention Act.”
However, the complaint for grave threats was dismissed.
The corruption allegations against Bautista came after former Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Senior Executive Assistant Jeffrey Tumbado revealed the alleged irregularities in the bureau.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #LTFRB #DOJ #PUVMP #QCPD #MANIBELA