2016 U.S. Embassy protest in Manila

Last updated
2016 U.S. Embassy protest
Part of Protests against Rodrigo Duterte
DateOctober 19, 2016
Location
Roxas Boulevard (in front of the US Embassy), Ermita, Manila
Caused byActivism against United States military presence
Methods
  • Demonstrations
  • rioting
Resulted inDemonstrators violently dispersed, with some rammed by a police van
Parties
  • SANDUGO [1]
  • Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya para sa Sariling Pagpapasya at Makatarungang Kapayapaan [1]
  • KABATAAN
Number
1,000 [1]
Casualties and losses
60 injured
About 30 arrested [1]

A protest that occurred in front of the U.S. embassy in Manila, Philippines led to a violent dispersal on October 19, 2016 when a police van accelerated back and forth, resulting in multiple injuries among protesters.

Contents

Protest

A protest, led by national minority groups, namely SANDUGO and Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya para sa Sariling Pagpapasya at Makatarungang Kapayapaan, gathered in front of the U.S. embassy in Manila. The protest was to demand an end to the Oplan Bayanihan, a counterinsurgency campaign and the pulling out of troops and militias from indigenous people's communities. [2] Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) secretary general Renato Reyes, Jr. said that the violent dispersal, which happened when the protest was about to conclude, was "planned and ordered" by a certain Col. Marcelino Pedroso. [3] The protest turned violent when a police vehicle accelerating back-and-forth hit several protestors. [4] The incident of ramming was recorded by the media. [5] It occurred after the protestors surrounded the vehicle and began hitting it with wooden police batons. Among them were three activists, who were taken to the hospital. [6] It was reported that the police arrested 21 individuals and brought them to the Manila Police District (MPD). [3]

Investigation

The SANDUGO and KABATAAN party-list stated that a certain Col. Marcelino Pedroso of the Manila Police District (MPD) allegedly gave the go-ahead for the violent dispersal of the protestors, [3] while others claim that PO3 Franklin Koh — the driver of the police vehicle — ordered the violent dispersal. [7] Pedroso, however, denied the ordering of the dispersal. [7]

Cases filed against 10 policemen [8]
  • Multiple attempted murder
  • Serious physical injuries
  • Unlawful arrest
  • Violation of R.A. 7438, B.P. 880
  • Obstruction of justiceGrave misconduct
  • Grave abuse of authority
  • Conduct unbecoming of a public officer

On October 20, the Office of the Ombudsman charged 10 policemen after the protestors filed complaints against them related to the dispersal. [8]

In October 29, it was reported that 28 police officers from the MPD filed counter-charges against the protesters for illegal assembly, direct assault on a person in authority, physical injury, resisting arrest and malicious mischief. [9]

On July 2024, a warrant of arrest has been filed by the injured protesters against Franklin Koh for three counts of attempted homicide. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine National Police</span> Police force of the Philippines

The Philippine National Police is the national police force of the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Currently, it has approximately 228,000 personnel to police a population in excess of 100 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfredo Lim</span> Filipino politician (1929–2020)

Alfredo "Fred" Siojo Lim was a Filipino politician, police officer and lawyer who served as a Senator of the Philippines from 2004 to 2007, He also served as the 20th Mayor of Manila twice: first from 1992 to 1998, and again from 2007 to 2013.

The First Quarter Storm, often shortened into the acronym FQS, was a period of civil unrest in the Philippines which took place during the "first quarter of the year 1970". It included a series of demonstrations, protests, and marches against the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, mostly organized by students and supported by workers, peasants, and members of the urban poor, from January 26 to March 17, 1970. Protesters at these events raised issues related to social problems, authoritarianism, alleged election fraud, and corruption at the hand of Marcos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EDSA III</span> 2001 Philippine protests after former President Joseph Estradas arrest

The May 1 riots, or EDSA III, were protests sparked by the arrest of newly deposed president Joseph Estrada of the Philippines from April 25 to May 1, 2001. The protest was held for 7 days on a major highway in Metro Manila, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), which eventually culminated in an attempt to storm the Malacañang Palace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramon Tulfo</span> Filipino TV host and journalist

Ramon "Mon" Teshiba Tulfo Jr. is a Filipino TV host, radio broadcaster and newspaper columnist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minneapolis Police Department</span> Minnesota, United States law enforcement agency

The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is also the largest police department in Minnesota. Formed in 1867, it is the second-oldest police department in Minnesota, after the Saint Paul Police Department that formed in 1854. A short-lived Board of Police Commissioners existed from 1887 to 1890.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manila Police District</span> PNPs police district in the City of Manila

The Manila Police District (MPD) is the agency of the Philippine National Police (PNP) responsible for law enforcement in the City of Manila including the Manila South Cemetery exclave. Formerly known as the Western Police District (WPD), the MPD is under the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), which also handles the Quezon City, Eastern, Northern and Southern Police Districts.

2016 in the Philippines details events that occurred in the Philippines in 2016.

A dispute between senior members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) in the Philippines occurred in July 2015. It was reported that the INC had expelled some of its ministers, along with high-profile members Felix Nathaniel "Angel" Manalo and Cristina "Tenny" Villanueva Manalo, the brother and mother of current INC Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo, respectively.

For three days from March 30, 2016, thousands of farmers and their supporters blockaded the Davao–Cotabato Road in Kidapawan, North Cotabato, in the Philippines. A day before prior to the road blockade, 500 farmers protested in front of the National Food Authority Office in Kidapawan to air their grievances. The demonstration ended violently with at least three deaths on the side of the protesters and a total of 116 injured on both sides after the police dispersed the mass action.

On April 27, 2017, a scandal arose when a team from the Commission of Human Rights (CHR) raided the Manila Police District (MPD) station 1 in Tondo, Manila, Philippines and discovered that about 12 men and women were being detained inside a cell hidden behind a bookshelf. It was reported that these prisoners inside the said cell were being held by the police allegedly to be released only upon payment of ransom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protests against Rodrigo Duterte</span> Political protests against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

Protests against Former President Rodrigo Duterte escalated on November 18, 2016, following Duterte's support of the burial of the late president Ferdinand Marcos. These series of protests are mostly conducted by progressive groups and other opposing figures mainly due to the ongoing war on drugs, the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, and employment issues such as contractual terms being applied by companies and inflation which occurred due to the passage of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law. Other causes of the protests include the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, and the shutdown and franchise denial of ABS-CBN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murders of Kian delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo de Guzman</span> Murders of three teenagers in the Philippines by police officers

Kian delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo de Guzman were three teenagers who were killed on August 16 to 18, 2017, during the course of the Philippine drug war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of protests against Rodrigo Duterte</span>

The following is a timeline of protests against Rodrigo Duterte, the 16th President of the Philippines, and his policies. Issues were addressed in the protests including the war on drugs, employment issues, anti-terror law, and the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya</span>

The Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya is an annual march, rally, and camp-out (kampuhan) by minority peoples of the Philippines, including Lumad, Aeta, Mangyan, Moro, and Igorot, coming from their respective homelands. It is held in Manila and other major cities from October–November, to protest against human rights violations, lack of self-determination, exploitation of ancestral lands, and lack of basic social services within communities of indigenous peoples. The yearly event, which started in 2012, is organized by SANDUGO, with the backing of various militant, progressive, and other allied groups. The participants have been termed as Lakbayani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NutriAsia</span> Philippine multinational food processing company

Nutri-Asia, Inc., formerly Enriton Natural Foods, Inc. and its predecessors Southeast Asia Food, Inc. and UFC Philippines, Inc., is a Philippine privately held multinational food processing company headquartered in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila. It is the leading producer of condiment products in the Philippines. Among its best known brands are Datu Puti, Mang Tomas, UFC and Silver Swan. As of 2019, NutriAsia has a total of 116 distribution networks locally and internationally.

The protest during Ferdinand Marcos' Fifth State of the Nation Address on January 26, 1970, and its violent dispersal by police units, marked a key turning point in the administration of Ferdinand Marcos, and the beginning of what would later be called the "First Quarter Storm" a period of civil unrest in the Philippines which took place during the first quarter of the year 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protests during the State of the Nation Addresses of Rodrigo Duterte</span>

The State of the Nation Addresses of Rodrigo Duterte, the 16th president of the Philippines, were met with several protests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isko Moreno 2022 presidential campaign</span> Presidential campaign for the 2022 Philippine presidential elections

The 2022 presidential campaign of Isko Moreno began on September 22, 2021, when Isko Moreno announced his intention to run for the presidency in the 2022 Philippine presidential election. Isko Moreno has served as the mayor of Manila, the country's capital city, from June 30, 2019 to June 30, 2022.

Recently, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. marked the 52nd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines, a period that remains highly controversial in the nation's history. In response, numerous Filipinos gathered in protest near Malacañang Palace, expressing their opposition to the Marcos family's legacy and the lasting impact of Martial Law on Filipino society. Tragically, the demonstration escalated into violence, leading to deaths and injuries. The unrest drew stark comparisons to the regime of the current president's father, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., whose time in power was also marred by human rights abuses and violent repression during Martial Law. Protests have been mostly conducted by progressive and opposition groups due to the violent and plunderous legacy of the Marcos family during the martial law era and throughout the rule of his father, former President Ferdinand Marcos; unpaid real-estate taxes; alleged electoral fraud during the 2022 presidential elections; instances of fake news and historical distortion; cases of human rights violations such as extra-judicial killings and the continuing war on drugs; and other social issues. Protests against the president have also included grievances against Vice President Sara Duterte as well as seeking of accountability from his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte. Mobilizations have also been held by Filipino-Americans and other solidarity and progressive groups abroad such as in United States, Australia, and Canada.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Police van overruns protesters in US Embassy". Rappler. Rappler. October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  2. "Scores hurt, 3 seriously, as police patrol vehicle runs over anti-US protesters". InterAksyon. Archived from the original on 2016-10-27. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  3. 1 2 3 "Violent dispersal of US Embassy protesters ordered by MPD exec—groups". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  4. "Police vehicle plows through protesters near US Embassy". GMA News.
  5. "TV Patrol: Mga pulis na sangkot sa marahas na dispersal, sinibak sa pwesto". YouTube . ABS-CBN News.
  6. "Philippines police van rams protesters outside US embassy in Manila". The Guardian.
  7. 1 2 "Driver of police van showed intent to kill, protesters claim". GMA News.
  8. 1 2 "WATCH - Multiple charges filed against 10 cops for rally dispersal near US embassy". InterAksyon. Archived from the original on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2016-10-27.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) from the original.
  9. Mangunay, Kristine Felisse (29 October 2016). "Manila cops countersue over rally violence". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  10. Mano, Robert (July 10, 2024). "Warrant out vs cop who ran over protesters in 2016 US Embassy rally". ABS-CBN News . Retrieved Jan 30, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)