When restraint is strength

The rally in Mendiola last Sunday was not without provocation. Tempers flared, and in the heat of the crowd, some rallyists crossed the line from protest to aggression. Stones and bottles were hurled in the direction of the police line. A few agitators pushed against the barricades, shaking them violently as if to force an opening. Flags, meant to symbolize causes, were wielded like spears, thrust forward toward the officers holding up their shields. The air filled with curses and threats, and for a tense moment, it seemed confrontation was inevitable.

Yet the Philippine National Police did not retaliate.

They could have easily charged forward to disperse the crowd, swung their batons in self-defense, and unleashed tear gas to scatter the agitators. History reminds us that such scenes are not new in Mendiola. But instead of escalating, the police absorbed the blows — literally and figuratively. Their shields bore the impact, their helmets rang with thrown objects, but their composure held firm.

This was not cowardice, nor weakness. It was deliberate restraint, the kind of discipline that demands more strength than the instinct to fight back. Each officer who stood there chose not to react in anger, but to stand as a buffer between the violence of a few and the safety of the many.

The rally could have spiraled into chaos — bloodied protesters, injured police, and another scar added to our history of street confrontations. But because the PNP chose to endure rather than retaliate, the violence did not escalate. What could have been remembered as a day of clashes was instead remembered as a day when restraint prevailed.

The PNP’s conduct in Mendiola deserves admiration. They demonstrated that the role of the police is not to overpower but to protect, even when provoked. They showed that true strength is not in striking back, but in knowing when to hold the line, quietly and resolutely, for the sake of peace.