Manila Police District (MPD) personnel filed additional criminal charges against six activists arrested during the May 1 rally near the US embassy in Manila. The activists were charged with malicious mischief, in addition to previous charges of illegal assembly (violation of Batas Pambansa 880) and direct assault.

Six youths were arrested on May 1 while protesting against the Balikatan war games. A throng of police arrested them, dragged them to their car and detained them for a week. The activists were only released on May 7, after paying a total bail of ₱252,000.

A Manila prosecutor’s decision on May 28 charged them with malicious mischief for allegedly destroying police equipment. Meanwhile, it dismissed the disobedience complaint against the six.

Defend CAMANAVA, an alliance of human rights defenders, condemned the MPD’s filing of what it called fabricated charges against activists. It can be recalled that they and other groups also complained about the prolonged and deliberately delayed processing of the case and the petition for bail of the victims in May.

Meanwhile, human rights groups have yet to announce their previously announced plans to file a counter-suit against police elements involved in violently dispersing the protest and the prosecutor who held the case for the deliberate delay in issuing a resolution.

Four of the victims are University of the Philippines students while the other two are Anakbayan-South Caloocan and Defend CAMANAVA activists.