Terror plot afoot during anti-corruption protest—Remulla
Authorities are looking into an alleged plot to sow disorder during Sunday’s anti-corruption rallies following the clashes between a youthful band of masked marchers who assaulted police barricades blocking roads leading to Malacañang Palace.
In a Palace press briefing yesterday, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla pointed out that the band of delinquent youths, or “hooligans,” who tried to attack the presidential palace were likely under the direction of still-unnamed instigators.
“The first children in conflict with the law interviewed said that they had intended to burn the Palace. However, we cannot take that at face value because these were children in conflict with the law, and we still needed the DSWD to process them,” he noted.
“Yes, that is why all contingencies were considered. Our biggest fear, which did not happen, was that someone would incite violence during the People Power Monument rally, because the intent of the people there was peaceful,” he added.
Remulla said that an investigation into the violent incidents is still ongoing and his office “intends to come out with a report pretty soon.”
For his part, Manila Mayor Francisco Moreno Domagoso said investigators are already examining reports that the rioters in Mendiola were paid by “outside actors.”
A Chinese-Filipino politician, a rapper, and certain lawyers are reportedly persons of interest.
“I will let the PNP do the investigation, but it is not just rappers; there is also a lawyer, another one, a former politician in Manila. Because a few days before, I had intelligence reports that some initiators or instigators were funding these kids [who rioted in Mendiola],” Domagoso said in a mixture of Filipino and English.
The Mayor assured that charges will be filed against 216 rioters, 89 of whom are minors.
“To the parents of the suspects, if I were you, talk to your children and help the police point out who the people are behind this. [Otherwise], you will be the ones shouldering the burden of the problem you have given to Manila, which you are legally responsible for,” he said.
Domagoso may have been reacting to a report by Politiko saying authorities are investigating the possible involvement of ex-Manila congressman Harry Angping, former Manila City Administrator Bernie Ang, former Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez, and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio.
Ang is the president of the Duterte-led Partido ng Demokratiko Pilipino chapter in the National Capital Region, while Topacio is the deputy spokesman of the party.
In an exclusive interview with Manila Standard, Topacio noted it is ‘ridiculous’, adding that they are physically present in Mendiola such that they can be affected by the mayhem.
“Totally preposterous. It is part of a psywar effort intended to intimidate legitimate dissenters,” he said.
Meanwhile, “hacktivists “defaced 19 Philippine government websites during weekend protests, but no major systems were compromised, the Department of Information and Communications Technology said Monday.
Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda said the cyber incidents were quickly contained and represented only a small fraction of the country’s nearly 60,000 government websites and applications.
“We recorded 1.4 million intrusion attempts over the weekend. Only 19 defacements got through, and none of our critical systems were breached,” he told reporters in a briefing.
Government cybersecurity experts traced the activity to the hacktivist collective Anonymous PH, which was also linked to calls for the “Black Mask March” protest action.
Among the affected sites were those of the Bureau of Customs, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Anti-Red Tape Authority’s online platform, and a Department of Education portal. The rest were mostly local government websites.
As this developed, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) strongly denounced the harassment of a television reporter who faced intimidation and aggressive actions from protesters while covering a rally in Mendiola.
News5 correspondent Gary de Leon was preparing to deliver a live report when protesters attempted to obstruct the camera and physically shoved him as he tried to carry out his work.
“No journalist should ever be subjected to intimidation, threats, or obstruction while performing their duty to deliver truthful and timely information to the public,” PTFoMS Executive Director Jose Torres Jr. said in a statement Monday.
