Manila, Sep 22: Philippine authorities confirmed that 216 individuals were arrested during nationwide anti-corruption protests on Sunday, Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla said on Monday.
Of those detained, 127 were adults and 89 were minors, according to Remulla, who added that all suspects are currently held at the Manila Police District. The Department of Health reported that at least one person died during the clashes between protesters and security forces.
Tens of thousands of Filipinos gathered in Manila and across the country to express outrage over alleged widespread corruption, Xinhua news agency reported. The unrest follows President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos’ July disclosure of corruption scandals in flood control projects during his State of the Nation Address.
The demonstrations intensified after political upheaval in Congress. Last week, the House of Representatives elected Deputy Speaker Faustino Dy as its new speaker following the resignation of Martin Romualdez, who stepped down over an infrastructure corruption scandal. Days earlier, the Senate also saw a change in leadership, with Vicente Sotto replacing Francis Escudero as Senate president.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, the Philippine military reported that two suspected rebels from the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed in a clash in Capiz province on Saturday. Soldiers encountered seven alleged NPA members during a combat operation in Tapaz town around 7:45 a.m. local time. No government casualties were reported.
Troops recovered three rifles, explosives, and ammunition from the site. Military officials noted that although the NPA’s strength has declined significantly from its peak of around 25,000 armed members in the 1980s, the group continues to conduct small-scale attacks in rural areas.
Authorities said both the protests and insurgency reflect ongoing challenges to governance and stability in the Philippines.
