Four UP students were detained by the Philippine National Police (PNP) during a Labor Day protest near the US Embassy. This followed multiple reports of police harassment toward protesters and student journalists.
Among the arrested were three students from UP Diliman Pi Sigma Fraternity, one UP Manila student from NNARA Youth UP Manila, and two other youth activists from Anakbayan National. One unidentified student journalist was also reported to have been beaten on the head, leading to injury.
The six students are still awaiting treatment at the Ospital ng Maynila for their injuries from their brutal arrest as of press time. One protester was reported to have been aggressively handcuffed on the ground by PNP members.
The students are then set to be brought to the PNP detention center near the US Embassy. The Manila Police District (MPD) has refused negotiations regarding the six.
Another protest action was held in front of the MPD at around 5:30 p.m., to call for the release of the detained students dubbed “Mayo Uno 6.”
The students’ arrests came as the protesters were heading to the US Embassy to register their calls against increasing US presence in the country. There, the police already barricaded the consulate and used water cannons against the otherwise peaceful protest.
But the program still pushed through. Throughout, the speakers condemned the police’s use of violence against the mobilization, saying it only proves the government’s allegiances.
“Bakit napakadali para tumapak ang mga Amerikano sa ating teritoryo habang napakahirap para sa mga Pilipino na lumapit sa US Embassy,” said Clarice Palce, secretary-general of GABRIELA National Alliance of Women, during the protest.
This year’s US-Philippines war games, called Balikatan, is slated to be the most complicated yet, with new assets to be deployed for increased interoperability between the two nations. This, with the four new sites for the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the US and the Philippines announced last year, is only evidence of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration’s inclination toward the foreign power.
Labor groups remain wary of the increased presence of the US in general, as workers could be left more vulnerable to unfair business practices and foreign-inclined policies. But beyond this, they fear a worsened state of human rights in the country.
“Kilala sa buong mundo ang Estados Unidos para sa pangigiyera at pananakop na nagdudulot ng gutom at karahasan,” said Jerome Adonis, secretary-general of labor group Kilusang Mayon Uno.
Advocacy groups will continue their protest against US presence in the country in another mobilization at the US Embassy on May 9. ●
