QC Mayor says no arrests for effigy burning outside protest zones

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte announced that no arrests will be made for effigy burning during protests on July 22, the day of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s third State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Belmonte clarified that Batas Pambansa Bilang 880 prohibits the malicious burning of objects within 100 meters of a public assembly area, but burning effigies beyond this radius is not explicitly prohibited by law.

However, Metro Manila police chief Major General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. stated that the police will continue to enforce the law and document instances of effigy burning, treating it as a test case.

Nartatez mentioned that while evidence has been gathered, no arrests have been made so far regarding the effigy burning.

Protesters burned an effigy depicting Marcos Jr., Vice President Sara Duterte, US President Joe Biden, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Commonwealth Avenue before the SONA.