Violence erupts as police attacked outside Palace
Several individuals, including a journalist and an activist, were injured on Sunday during anticorruption protests in Manila.
Malacañang and the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS) condemned the violence that injured broadcast journalist Manny Vargas of dzBB and Renato Reyes Jr., Bagong Alyansang Makabayan president.
The Palace also called the rioters “criminals” out to hijack the peaceful anticorruption protests.
The chaos occurred shortly after the “Baha sa Luneta” rally winded up at Rizal Park when unidentified masked men wearing black shirts attempted to push past antiriot police guarding the road leading to Malacañang Palace. They hurled rocks and burned the wheels of a parked trailer truck at the foot of Ayala Bridge.
“This incident underscores the urgent need to prioritize the safety of journalists, who are vital in providing accurate and timely information to the public,” PTFOMS executive director Jose Torres Jr. said in a statement.
“Any attack on media workers, whether intentional or accidental, jeopardizes press freedom and the public’s right to be informed,” he added.
20 arrested
The Philippine National Police has yet to identify the affiliation of the individuals, but at least 20 have been rounded up, including three minors. Forty police officers were also wounded during the violent confrontations, the National Capital Region Police Office said.
Reyes, meanwhile, posted on X that he was “currently at the ER (emergency room), bloodied after being hit by a stone in Mendiola.”
He said he did not know the affiliation of the violent protesters who were seen throwing rocks and molotov cocktails and destroying public property.
“They could be provocateurs or they could just be really angry at what is happening. At the end of this day, the government cannot ignore the problem of corruption and give so-so responses,” Reyes said.
Another commotion
The same group of rioters later pelted authorities again with stones and bottles, leading police to respond with tear gas and water cannon.
The rioters also spray-painted walls, columns, and signages they passed with words and even obscenities directed against President Marcos. Vice President Sara Duterte was also targeted by their angry messages.
Near Mendiola, fast-food establishments, convenience stores, drugstores and other businesses were suddenly closed that Sunday.
The PNP, which deployed around 50,000 officers to the rally sites, said it would “continue to exercise maximum tolerance, but we will also act against anyone who causes harm or damages property.” —WITH REPORTS FROM GILLIAN VILLANUEVA AND JASON SIGALES
