A Kalayaan Kontra Korapsyon (KKK) youth organizer received a subpoena from the Philippine National Police-Crime Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) in connection with the alleged involvement and leadership in the anti-corruption protest and confrontation that took place in Mendiola and Recto, Manila on September 21. Police summoned Aldrin Kitsune, a student of De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, to undergo “investigation” related to the protest.

Aside from participating in the protest itself, Kitsune took videos and photos of the event and posted them on social media. These showed the brutal and violent police response to the youth, contradicting statements from the Marcos regime and the Manila local government under Isko Moreno.

Progressive groups believe Kitsune was subpoenaed for exposing the truth in his photos and videos. “The police disappointingly act faster against protesters than against plunderers and oppressors of the people,” Kitsune said on his Facebook page.

On receiving a police subpoena, Kitsune is reportedly second to Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Manila student and The Catalyst campus journalist Jacob Baluyot, who received one on October 7. PNP-CIDG summoned Baluyot to Camp Crame in Quezon City on October 10, which he firmly refused, according to his Public Interest Law Center (PILC) lawyers.

Kabataan Party-list also condemned the police for summoning the two. “These are PNP tactics to intimidate the struggling masses,” Kabataan Representative Renee Co said. She added that they had also received reports of activists and individuals on X (formerly Twitter) being reported and served with subpoenas by PNP-CIDG over their shared news and videos about the violent incidents on September 21.

“This is clearly state fascism. While the people are fighting against corruption, they silence us. They quickly prosecute innocent citizens but hesitate to prosecute corrupt officials,” Co added.

Co and the Kabataan Party-list called on the youth and students to remain standing and struggling in response to the Marcos regime’s repression. “If they think they can scare and silence us, the challenge for our nation’s hope is to show them that we will never be defeated,” Co said.