House bill filed vs. planking during protests

A bill was filed at the House of Representatives on Tuesday against planking —or the act of lying face down in unusual locations — during street protests. Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, who filed the measure, said planking during street rallies became an “important concern" after some youth protesters lay face down along España Boulevard in Manila to support the transport strike on Monday. In a statement, the lawmaker said the government should come up with a code of student conduct for “militant or radical student leaders engaged in street protests or demonstration." The code of conduct should be drafted and implemented by the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education, he added. Castelo’s bill will have to undergo committee and plenary discussions and approvals at the lower chamber, as well as the Senate, before it can be enacted into law. “The parent in me tells me that this precedent… could just be very dangerous in the future. Life and limb are pretty much at risk here," he said. “Parents and teachers have reason to be alarmed… The Filipino psyche of our young children in school is under attack—right here and now," he said. “Unbelieving bus drivers and law enforcement authorities might just ram through these warm and living bodies rolled out on highways," he added. Proposals to outlaw planking were also raised in Australia last May after a man died after falling from a building while planking. Police take steps vs. planking Earlier on Tuesday, the Manila Police District (MPD) said it may break up “planking" sessions and detain those engaged in the act especially if they pose a danger to others, radio dzBB’s Carlo Mateo reported. On Monday, about 30 youths from the League of Filipino Students (LFS) and Anakbayan staged "planking sessions" to show support for the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operaor Nationwide (PISTON) drivers who were holding a nationwide transport strike to protest rising prices of fuel. The police did not move against the militants as they were under instructions to observe “maximum tolerance" in dealing with protesters. - VVP, GMA News