Parents gathered in the pouring rain outside Manila’s police headquarters on Monday, demanding answers after more than 200 people — including dozens of minors — were arrested during weekend protests against corruption.
Among those detained was a 12-year-old boy, the youngest reported by Manila Mayor Isko Moreno. Others, like Michelle Blanco’s 13-year-old son Zoren, were also swept up.
“A little information about how they are doing inside, or what we should do to get him out, means a lot,” Blanco, a 45-year-old saleswoman, told AFP. She insisted her son had merely been watching when officers arrested him.
Another mother, Elsie Santos, said her 27-year-old son Reden, who has a speech impediment, was taken despite carrying a government-issued disability card.
“No one is explaining anything to us at this point,” Santos said, adding: “My son cannot communicate properly, and I’m scared they won’t understand him when he explains himself.”
Protests Turn Chaotic
Tens of thousands of Filipinos had marched peacefully through Manila on Sunday, voicing anger over alleged “ghost” flood-control projects that watchdogs say cost taxpayers billions. Families, clergy, and activists filled the streets until nightfall, when clashes broke out.
Police vehicles were torched, windows of a precinct shattered, and at least 50 injured people were treated at one hospital. Authorities said 93 police officers were also hurt.
Major Hazel Asilo, a police spokesperson, said investigators were still determining whether those arrested were protesters or “agitators.”
Police Under Scrutiny
Rights groups accused security forces of using excessive force, but Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla defended the police response as one of “maximum tolerance.”
“They only had their riot gear and no firearms,” he said, emphasizing that no shots were fired and no tear gas deployed among the 4,000 officers on duty.
Mounting Scandal
The unrest comes amid growing outrage over bogus flood-control projects, exposed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his July state of the nation address.
The Department of Finance estimated losses of 118.5 billion pesos ($2 billion) between 2023 and 2025, while Greenpeace claimed the figure could be nearly $18 billion.
The scandal has inflamed public anger in a country still reeling from deadly floods and has now sparked one of the largest protest crackdowns in recent years.
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