The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has clarified that government employees may join the nationwide protest actions set for September 21, but must remain mindful of their responsibilities as public servants.
CSC Assistant Commissioner Ariel Ronquillo, speaking in a radio interview, said civil servants are free to exercise their rights just like any other Filipino. “Our friends in the government, like an ordinary citizen of our country, have rights to participate in those kinds of protest-actions,” he said.
However, Ronquillo underscored that government workers also carry the image of the state wherever they go. “Because they are in the government, there should be things they aren’t allowed to do that will give a bad image to the government,” he stressed.
The CSC warned that employees who break laws or commit misconduct during the demonstrations could face administrative charges. “The exercise of our rights, that has a limit. If we violate laws or break things, that’s not good behavior expected of someone working in the government,” Ronquillo added.
Two large rallies are expected on September 21: the “Baha Sa Luneta” gathering at Rizal Park in Manila in the morning, and the “Trillion Peso March” along EDSA and the People Power Monument in Quezon City in the afternoon.
The protests will coincide with the 53rd anniversary of the declaration of martial law under President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., while also raising anger over alleged anomalies in flood control and infrastructure projects currently under congressional and independent investigation.
