FOLLOWING THE ARREST of over a hundred demonstrators, the police blamed “masked infiltrators” for the violent clash and dispersal of the protest rally in Manila on Sunday, September 21.
The Manila Police District (MPD) however did not make any categorical statement as to the group affiliation of the arrested individuals.
Citing its own data, MPD chief Brig. Gen. Arnold Abad said that the clash injured around 100 anti-riot cops, even as he claimed that 113 protesters — including 48 minors, were arrested.
In a statement, Abad blamed “masked infiltrators” masquerading as demonstrators, adding that the police were only trying to pacify the rude behavior of the “rallyists.”
Manila top cop claimed protesters arrested in Mendiola threw Molotov bombs, disrupting nearby activities and prompted immediate coordination with the Bureau of Fire Protection to secure the area.
He likewise accused “masked infiltrators” of swooping down, robbing, burning business establishments and damaging government properties.
NOT AMONG US
Soon after the violent incident, pro-Duterte organizers distanced themselves from the deadly riots, while Manila Mayor Isko Moreno pinned the blame on a Filipino-Chinese personality, a politician, and a lawyer.
The simultaneous protest actions in Luneta Park and Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila, as well as those at People Power Monument and in front of Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, were relatively peaceful.
But on Sunday afternoon, black-clad and ski mask-wearing rioters first clashed with police officers at Ayala Bridge in Manila, where they set on fire a trailer truck, a motorcycle, and tires while hurling stones and Molotov cocktails at policemen.
CHAOS UNCALLED FOR
In a separate statement, organizations forming part of a coalition condemned “paid anarchists” behind the violent clash coinciding with the Manila demonstration against corruption.
Forming part of the coalition are Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reforms (PADER), Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI) and Filipinos Do Not Yield (FDNY) Movement.
The coalition’s chairman Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia revealed that what had happened was what he had feared and warned against: “a twisted agenda of paid anarchists, not the voice of the people.”
Goitia enthused that what was meant to be a peaceful rally was hijacked by masked agitators who threw rocks, bottles and even incendiary devices at the police. For him, these weren’t acts of protest but deliberate crimes.
“These are not reformers but hired agitators. Their real purpose is not justice but to bring down a sitting President. But yesterday, their plans went up in smoke.”