A group of masked, mostly black-clad, men clashed twice on Sunday, September 21, with police anti-disturbance units guarding the roads leading to the presidential palace.
Police said a relatively small band of provocateurs threw stones at police and set fire to a trailer truck barricading a street in the vicinity of Malacañan Palace.
According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), 49 individuals—including 36 adults and 13 minors—were arrested for violent behavior, including stone-throwing and acts of arson during anti-corruption rallies.
PNP acting chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the rallies were generally peaceful despite these isolated incidents.
He said the arrested individuals violated several laws, including the Public Assembly Act, as well as provisions on illegal assembly, resistance or disobedience to authority, direct assault, malicious mischief, and serious physical injuries.
Meanwhile, 70 personnel from the Manila Police District (MPD) were injured while trying to maintain law and order. Those arrested are now under the custody of the MPD, awaiting formal charges, the PNP said in a statement.
“We respect the public’s right to peaceful assembly, but we strongly appeal to everyone to remain calm and refrain from violence,” it added.
“Rest assured, those responsible for these acts will be held accountable under the law,” it added.
The PNP also pointed out that the suspects’ actions endangered those who wished to protest peacefully.
Nonetheless, the national police said its personnel remain committed to safeguarding both the public and demonstrators.
For his part, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said President Marcos has ordered authorities to ensure that rallies remain peaceful, directing police to exercise “maximum tolerance” while vowing swift action against those who cause disorder.
“We will protect the citizens’ right to peaceably assemble to redress their grievances, but we will not tolerate instability and violence,” Remulla said.
“Those who seek only to create chaos will be held accountable,” the Secretary stated.
The PNP earlier placed its forces on heightened alert ahead of demonstrations near the Malacañang complex.
An administration spokesperson said the government’s approach aims to balance democratic freedoms with public safety.
Meanwhile, police presence reportedly diffused simmering tensions between a group of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s supporters and a larger group of progressives.
Reporters on the scene said a heated exchange of words erupted, with the Duterte Diehard Supporters (DDS) calling those across the picket line “communists,” while the opposite group questioned their presence in an anti-corruption rally.
As of 8 p.m., protesters representing several organizations remained in the vicinity of the EDSA Shrine, but tensions between groups had abated, police said.
