“Totally preposterous. My calls for peaceful assembly can be accessed in many social media platforms.”
Ito ang reaksyon ni Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, nang mariin niyang pabulaanan ang alegasyon na nag-uugnay sa kanya sa karahasang naganap sa September 21 rally sa Maynila.
“The ground commander, a certain General or Colonel Aberin, and the police civil disturbance unit members, will attest that I and retired General Javier had a dialogue with them to tell them that certain protesters were causing trouble, and that they were not part of our group,” aniya.
“In fact, the police had nothing to worry about from us as we were composed of labor leaders, professionals, employees and students merely exercising our right of peaceful assembly under the Constitution,” dagdag pa ni Topacio,
Ayon pa kay Topacio, “so as not to cause confusion, after our group reached the barricades in Mendiola and after a very brief program, we announced that we were going into organized dispersal mode and promptly disbanded towards the road leading to San Sebastian Cathedral.”
“Of course, it would be nothing new for some quarters to persecute members of the real opposition and I would not be at all surprised if they fabricated evidence against us,” ani Topacio.
Habang kinokondena ang karahasang nangyari sa Maynila, nagpahayag ng paniniwala si Topacio na dapat ding imbestigahan ng pamahalaan ang sinumang nag-uugnay sa mga maling tao sa kaguluhan dahil ito ay maaring isang paraan upang ilihis ang atensiyon mula sa mga tunay na nasa likod ng naturang karahasan.
