NCRPO to implement 'no permit, no rally' policy on Labor Day

As they mapped out their security plans for the occasion, Metro Manila police have vowed to implement a "no permit, no rally" policy for Labor Day this Sunday. Director Nicanor Bartolome, commander of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), ordered the policy enforced following a meeting with his district directors to coordinate their plans, radio dzBB reported Tuesday afternoon. Bartolome also ordered the Metro Manila police's intelligence operatives to be on the lookout for possible plans to disrupt Sunday's rallies. The report said the police will also coordinate with the local governments concerned on where to allow groups to hold their protests. For now, Bartolome said there is no intelligence report indicating any group is out to disrupt Sunday's activities. Militant labor and student groups are expected to stage protest actions on Sunday to dramatize the plight of workers on Labor Day. In Manila, meanwhile, Manila Police District head Chief Superintendent Roberto Rongavilla appealed to rally organizers to keep their protests peaceful and not to disrupt traffic. Rongavilla also directed anti-riot police to keep watch over Mendiola Bridge near Malacañang and the Labor Department head office in Intramuros. — RSJ, GMA News