By Marita Moaje
MANILA – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has clarified that the mist seen outside its Central Office in Quezon City during a protest rally over the weekend came from a scheduled office defogging activity, denying online claims that it released “pesticide gas” against demonstrators.
In a statement Sunday evening, the DENR categorically denied online claims that the agency released “pesticide gas” during the public assembly.
“What occurred was routine office defogging —a scheduled sanitation activity conducted inside the DENR compound. This procedure uses disinfectant mist, compliant with workplace hygiene standards. It is not used for crowd control,” the DENR statement reads.
“While the mist may have been visible from outside the building, no chemical agents were directed toward rally participants.”
The agency said it respects the public’s right to peaceful assembly, clarifying that the visible mist resulted from routine office sanitation.
The Quezon City Police District’s (QCPD) official spot report also showed that the protest concluded peacefully with no untoward incidents.
The demonstration was part of the “Hagupit ng Timog Katagalugan” caravan staged by progressive groups from the Southern Tagalog region or Calabarzon before the scheduled State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday.
Aside from the DENR, protesters also marched towards the Department of Agriculture.
The DENR maintained that the sanitation activity was conducted inside its compound and had no connection to the public assembly held along Visayas Avenue. (PNA)
