MANILA, Philippines —The street demonstrations held on Monday in protest of President Rodrigo Duterte’s fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona) was an “explosion of protest art,” Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Secretary General Renato Reyes said. “Yesterday’s Sona saw an explosion of protest art on the streets as participants made known their stand on the West Philippine Sea and Duterte’s betrayal,” Reyes said in a statement. ADVERTISEMENTHe added that the Sona protests throughout the country were “generally peaceful yet militant.”National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said no untoward incidents were reported during the Sona protests. “We have always kept our word in any meaningful dialogue.”“Barricades, barbed wires, container vans, blockades and even random searches are thus unnecessary if there is a prior agreement between two parties.”Reyes also thanked Eleazar for making the dialogue possible. /mufADVERTISEMENTRead NextLATEST STORIESMOST READ

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 23, 2019 06:11 UTC