The Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) announced on November 3 that it filed charges against 97 unnamed individuals in connection with the clashes and youth protest on September 21 at Mendiola and Recto in Manila. The PNP-CIDG director said the charges include conspiracy to commit rebellion or insurrection, sedition, and inciting to sedition.

The PNP-CIDG filed the cases with the Department of Justice on October 28. Police officials boasted that this was only an initial batch of cases with a forthcoming second batch.

The PNP-CIDG director did not provide details but its office recently subpoenaed six individuals for “investigation” related to the incident. Four of them are student leaders from the University of the Philippines (UP)–Diliman, Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), and De La Salle–College of St. Benilde (DLS–CSB).

Police and Marcos regime targeted for harassment UP-Diliman University Student Council Chairperson Joaquin Buenaflor, PUP Central Student Council President Tiffany Brillante, Alyansa ng Kabataang Mamamahayag PUP Chairperson Jacob Baluyot, and Kalayaan Kontra Korapsyon organizer and DLS-CSB student Aldrin Kitsune. The two others “summoned” by the police were vlogger Park Alamada Pangawilan (Kuya Par Vlogger) and former Manila 3rd District Representative Harry Angping.

Police also violently arrested at least 270 individuals, including 91 minors, on the day of the September 21 action. The Manila police charged them for violating Article 146 (Illegal Assembly), Article 148 (Direct Assault), Article 151 (Resistance and disobedience to a person in authority), Article 153 (Tumults and other disturbances of public order), and Article 320 (Arson) of the Revised Penal Code, as well as Batas Pambansa 880. The Manila prosecutor recommended charges of Tumults and other disturbances of public order to ten of those arrested.

“This is a crackdown on dissent,” National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) president Atty. Ephraim B. Cortez said. He added that the regime is clearly using the “violent incident” at the Mendiola rally as justification to go after dissenters, mainly “the loudest, noisiest, and most persistent dissenters,” the youth and student sector.

“They became targets because they offered a sharper and more in-depth analysis of the situation. Their call is for accountability for all,” Cortez said. He added that the government was triggered because they dared to expose corruption as part of a decaying system that allows it to persist.

He said that instead of using state resources to pursue corrupt government officials and their cohorts, the CIDG and the Marcos regime squanders them against the youth and student leaders. The NUPL and human rights groups demand to end the harassment of youth and student leaders and to dismiss fabricated cases against those arrested and those still facing charges.

Meanwhile, resisting the PNP-CIDG’s harassment, the Makabayan Bloc filed a bill last week seeking to remove the agency’s authority to issue subpoenas. The PNP-CIDG’s power to issue subpoenas for “investigations” was granted by the Duterte regime through Republic Act (RA) No. 10973 in 2018.