The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has denied releasing pesticide gas during a protest near the DENR central office in Quezon City.
The DENR issued the statement after activists from Southern Tagalog raised concerns over the smoke released during their protest action.
The DENR said what was seen was smoke due to disinfectant mist from routine defogging activities.
‘The DENR respects the right of every Filipino to peaceful assembly. What occurred was routine office defogging – a scheduled sanitation activity conducted inside the DENR compound,’ the agency said. ‘This procedure uses disinfectant mist, compliant with workplace hygiene standards. It is not used for crowd control.’
The DENR assured the public that no protesters were harmed.
‘While the mist may have been visible from outside the building, no chemical agents were directed toward the rally participants,’ the DENR said.
According to the official spot report of the Quezon City Police District, the protest rally held along Visayas Avenue ‘ended peacefully.’