Human rights groups protested at the Department of Justice (DoJ) in Manila on January 29 to again denounce the complaints filed in the agency against anti-corruption protesters. They held the action simultaneous with the submission of counter-affidavits by those charged by the Philippine National Police (PNP) for sedition and incitement to sedition cases linked to the Anti-Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

According to Karapatan, the PNP charged at least 72 individuals, who are among 97 targeted by the DoJ’s legal pursuit for participating in the “Flood Protest” in Luneta on September 21, 2025 and for posting anti-corruption calls on social media.

Karapatan added that some of those charged are among the more than 270 the PNP arrested during the rally in Mendiola that same day and charged in court for vandalism, tumults, arson, and assault.

Those the PNP at the DoJ charged included Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) president Renato Reyes Jr, and student leaders from councils, publications, and progressive groups including Tiffany Faith Brillante, Joaquin Buenaflor, Jacob Baluyot, and Aldrin Kitsune.

Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said it is striking that many of those the PNP targeted were the same people pushing for “deep systemic change” to root out corruption. Palabay said this call goes beyond simply holding corrupt figures from the Marcos and Duterte cliques accountable.

“Doubling down on the persecution of anti-corruption protesters only reinforces our doubts on the sincerity of the government’s drive against bureaucratic corruption,” Palabay said. She added that this is clearly a desperate move to suppress the people’s indignation against corruption and to block the wave of public outrage from breaching the gates of Malacañang.

Youth groups also protested on January 26 at the DoJ led by Kalayaan Kontra Korapsyon, headed by Kitsune. Students from the University of the Philippines-Diliman and Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Sta. Mesa also mounted separate demonstrations in recent weeks to oppose the crackdown on their leaders.

AKAB–Alliance Against Corruption and Police Brutality held a meeting on January 25 to prepare for the legal battle and complaints filed against the anti-corruption protesters. AKAB is composed of victims of police violence during the September 21, 2025 protest in Mendiola, their relatives, lawyers, and human rights groups.

Meanwhile, the Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot (KBKK, or People’s Anti-Corruption Movement) supports those charged by the Marcos regime. The group asserted that people must defy state persecution and continue to shout out their demands, discuss, and expose the roots of corruption. “We will not be cowed by the government’s henchmen acting as protectors of the corrupt and persecutors of anti-corruption activists,” the group said.