Malacañang has expressed satisfaction over the largely peaceful rallies in the country, reiterating the administration’s commitment to uphold the citizen's right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez made the statement, following the Trillion Peso March on Sunday, Nov. 30. 

“Well, so far natutuwa kami sa ating mga rallies. Nasabi na ng ibang tagapagsalita natin na ang administrasyon ay naniniwala sa freedom of expression at pinoprotektahan natin yung right ng ating mga mamamayan to peaceably assemble. At natutuwa nga kami na so far, peaceful yung ating mga rallies na nakikita (Well, so far we are pleased with our rallies. Our other spokespersons have already said that the administration believes in freedom of expression and that we protect our citizens’ right to peaceably assemble. And we’re satisfied that so far, the rallies we are seeing have been peaceful)," Gomez said in an interview over One News on Sunday.

Gomez said President Marcos was at the Palace, monitoring the situation of protest actions were held in Luneta and Mendiola in Manila, and at the People's Monument on EDSA, calling for accountability over anomalies in flood control projects.

During the rallies, the Press Secretary said, authorities were taking precautions to keep rallies safe, citing that security personnel checked attendees wearing face coverings not to restrict expression, but to prevent disruptions from people aiming to cause chaos, as happened in past demonstrations.

“Natuto na tayo noong September 21 rally na yung Black Mask Movement, sila yung nagpasimuno ng mga gulo. So, naninigurado lang tayo na hindi ma-infiltrate yung ating mapayapang mga rally ng mga taong out to foment chaos and violence. At pagkatapos naman sila sitahin, interviewhin, pinapalaya din naman sila (We learned from the September 21 rally that it was the Black Mask Movement who instigated the disturbances. So we’re just making sure that our peaceful rallies are not infiltrated by people who are out to foment chaos and violence. And after they are questioned and interviewed, they are eventually released as well," the PCO chief added.

Gomez noted that checking rallyists wearing masks could be part of the police's natural responsibility to maintain peace and order. 

"So kung merong kaduda-duda na mga personalidad, dapat lang naman siguro i-check nila para lang sa safety and security ng mga nakararami (So if there are individuals who appear suspicious, it’s only right that they are checked for the safety and security of the majority)," Gomez said.

He said that after a brief assessment and interview, the rallyists in question were released and not detained.

“"Naniniguro lang tayo. Alam mo naman yung kasabihan na fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Para naman tayo hindi natuto noong September 21, 'yan lang naman. Gusto lang natin pangalagaan ang peace and order (We’re just being cautious. You know the saying, ‘Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.’ We don’t want to act as if we didn’t learn anything from September 21, that’s all. We simply want to maintain peace and order)," Gomez added.