The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Sunday emphasized that all forms of gatherings including protest actions are prohibited in the midst of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

In a statement, DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said “this is not and will never be unique to rallies’’ with President Duterte delivering his fifth state-of-the-nation-address (SONA) on July 27.
 
Malaya maintained that “any kind of mass gathering during a global pandemic, whether rallies, church gatherings, sports events, concerts, etc. all represent a high risk of COVID transmission’’.
 
While the government recognizes the people’s right to “peacefully assemble for the redress of grievances’’, Malaya insisted that such mass actions are “subject to reasonable regulation of the authorities to protect public health and the general welfare’’ as “we are in the middle of a global pandemic’’.
 
Malaya also explained that the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) “issued Resolution No. 57 prohibiting any form of mass gathering as a measure against the further spread of COVID-19’’ based on the advice of the Department of Health (DOH).
 
“Therefore, upon the advice of the medical community, we strongly urge the public to avoid mass gatherings of any kind at this time due to the high risk of COVID transmission,’’ Malaya said.
 
With the President delivering his SONA, Malaya appealed to the rally organizers “not to compromise the health and welfare of the people’’. 
 
“We ask them not to be blind to the scientific evidence that mass gatherings are the fastest way for the virus to spread among their ranks which can then infect their families and ultimately their communities,’’ he added. 
 
Malaya also urged them to be “responsible Filipino citizens and do their part in defeating this global pandemic’’ and “be part of the solution and not the problem’’.