Marquez back to CHR anew over Labor Day 'aftershocks'
For continued use and presence of minors in street protests, Captain Lowen Gil Marquez of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) here is back anew to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
Bearing a similar complaint from last year, Captain Marquez, commanding officer of the 3rd Civil Relations Group wanted to make official the AFP's objections on the matter.
Used as evidence was a front page The News Today (TNT) photo during the Labor Day celebration where a rallyist was shown with a toddler in tow. Several other minors were present in the rally.
For Captain Marquez, the practice has to stop as he issued an appeal to the CHR and the rallyists stressing the clear violation committed in the practice.
"In case the organizers do not know yet, I am informing them that using the children, the minors in rallies and protests is prohibited and is a human rights violation. How can they expose the poor innocent children to what they are doing? It is tantamount to recruitment and molding these young minds to be corrupted by communist ideologues," he said.
As such, Captain Marquez continued, he wanted to take it upon himself to ensure that the children be not seemingly used as human shields.
"I hope the CHR can help me out on this," he added.
Meantime, yet another call from the AFP for the local communist hierarchy, "whatever is remaining of them," Marquez quipped, for a stop on blatant violations to city laws.
Marquez noted the wanton practice of rallyists to enter the city in overloaded passenger jeepneys.
"That is clear endangerment on the lives of the protesters, most are merely fooled into joining or paid to hang around. How can they ignore this basic safety measures? Imagine how bad it would be if these people do get into power….," he said. "They are all displaying outlaw-behaviors."