The Philippine National Police is filing charges for direct assault on a person in authority against Bayan-Negros spokesperson Christian Tuayon for attacking a police officer during the dispersal of their protesting group in Talisay City Saturday.

Senior Supt. Allan Guisihan, Negros Occidental police director, said yesterday that the Bayan members led by Tuayon were insisting on getting near Nature’s Village Resort, where President Benigno Aquino III was to witness the oathtaking of the new members of Liberal Party.

Guisihan was standing behind the policemen who were blocking the Bayan members from moving forward on Saturday when he saw Tuayon attacking one of the policemen.

Tuayon said he only retaliated because the policeman hit his companion, Iver Larit, with a shield, adding that they are also planning to file counter charges against the policemen.

Tuayon said this only shows Guisihan is only serving the ruling class but not the poor people of Negros Occidental, who are pressing legitimate causes.

He also hit the policemen for dispersing the protesting members of the Task Force Mapalad, who were mostly women and the elderly.

About 30 members of the farmers organization, staged a protest near the Nature’s Village Resort but were dispersed and taken into temporary police custody in Talisay City, when they refused to leave.

Guisihan said they are determining who among the TFM members will be charged for illegal assembly.

TFM national coordinator Lanie Factor yesterday appealed to Guisihan not to pursue the charges and have pity on the farmers. She said the farmers were only demanding from the President to distribute the lands in Negros Occidental covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.*APN

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