Consulate prompts Filipino community to avoid political assembly

The Philippine Consulate General in Macau has called on the Filipino community to refrain from organizing public gatherings without obtaining prior permits from the relevant Macau authorities.
This comes after a group of the community gathered on Sunday, wearing red shirts to show support to a political party running for the 2022 presidential elections in the Philippines. Reportedly, the authorities detained over a dozen people for gathering without permission for 24 hours.
In Macau, to organize public gatherings, one must obtain a permit from the Public Security Police Force if the gathering relates to politics, or a permit from the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) if the assembly is related to cultural or social activities.
In a statement, the consulate called on the community to “desist from engaging in gatherings, assemblies, or other activities that have a political or partisan character, including the use of banners and uniforms.”
The consulate also wished to “emphasize that all non-resident workers in Macau must strictly follow the laws, rules and regulations of the host government and that any violation of these may be a basis for the termination of the employment contract and the consequent cancellation of the permit to stay.”
On Sunday, over a dozen Filipinos were brought to the police station for an investigation related to the two gatherings: one at the Ruins of St. Paul and another at Sai Van Lake.
One of the detainees, who refused to be identified, told the Times that they were detained for 24 hours – implying that they were only released from the police station on Monday night, adding that there were 16 Filipinos and one Nepalese who were detained.
“They invited us saying they would only ask us questions. When we got there, they asked a lot of questions. They asked for fingerprints at the police station and at the immigration and took a mugshot,” said one of the detainees.
“They asked us why we were there, and who organized the event. They then took our phones […] because we had photos of the gathering on those phones,” the detainee added.
It was alleged on a social media post that a group also distributed campaign leaflets with the Macau flag – an act that is illegal because, according to the law, the flag may not be displayed or used in trademarks or advertising. The fine for such a breach ranges from MOP2,000 to MOP20,000.
The Times contacted the PSP to enquire whether there would be charges against those who were invited to the police station for questioning.
No reply was given by press time.
The large crowd gathered to show support for the presidential candidate, son of the late dictator, Marcos Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr., whom human rights groups asked the Philippine Commission on Elections to disqualify on the basis of being convicted of tax evasion.
In response, Marcos Jr. called the petition “propaganda” and said his team would address “this predictable nuisance” when they receive a formal copy of it.
Marcos Jr. registered his candidacy early last month for the May 9 2022 elections, angering activists who recalled the widespread human rights atrocities that marked the martial law era under his father, who was toppled in an army-backed “people power” revolt in 1986.