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21-hour Batasan road closure disappoints Defensor

May 4, 2022 Ryan Ponce Pacpaco 739 views

QUEZON City mayoral candidate Mike Defensor on Wednesday expressed disappointment in Mayor Joy Belmonte’s alleged decision to close a major road in the Batasan area for almost one day for her election campaign rally.

Defensor said the Quezon City government has announced on its Facebook page that “some sections of IBP (Interim Batasang Pambansa) Road will be temporarily closed starting from 6 p.m., May 3, 2022, up to 11:30 p.m., May 4, 2022, in preparation for a “miting de avance” on May 4, 2022.”

“That’s a total of more than 21 hours, or almost one day, the period the mayor is asking motorists and commuters to bear some inconvenience and sacrifice for their rally in District 2,” Defensor said.

The FB announcement indicates that the road closure is for Belmonte’s group, District 2 miting de avance.

It identifies the areas and streets severely affected as IBP Road, Palma Street leading to Filinvest 2, Pook Pag-asa, and Filinvest Gate 2.

Defensor said the second congressional district “is the bailiwick of our allies the Castelos Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo and her husband, my vice mayor, Councilor Winnie Castelo.”

“Why does Mayor Belmonte want to make our supporters there suffer?” he asked.

Defensor said UniTeam and Malayang Quezon City coalition, which he heads, held a proclamation rally in the same area last month, “but we were there for at most five hours only, not one day.”

That was an event attended by presidential frontrunner former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., whose vice presidential running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, did not make it but gave a message through Sen. Bato dela Rosa, he said.

“This 21-hour road closure is just for a local campaign,” he said.

Defensor recalled that the QC city hall effectively denied UniTeam the use of the sprawling Quezon City Memorial Circle (QCMC) for its opening campaign rally in February.

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