Source: Amnesty International –
Philippines police unlawfully targeted protesters with unnecessary and excessive force during anti-corruption marches in September, according to harrowing new testimony gathered by Amnesty International ahead of fresh protests planned across the country this weekend.
Ten people interviewed by Amnesty International detailed physical abuse – including violations that may amount to torture and other ill-treatment – by state forces following demonstrations in the capital Manila on 21 September 2025. The research comes as thousands prepare to return to the streets on 30 November in renewed protests against government corruption.
“The disturbing evidence we have gathered of unlawful force unleashed by the police against protesters and others on 21 September makes a mockery of the Philippine government’s repeated claim that it exercises ‘maximum tolerance’ during protests,” said Jerrie Abella, Amnesty International Regional Campaigner.
“Victims have described how police punched, kicked and hit people – including children – with batons as they were arrested, with appalling ill-treatment continuing in detention. The police must change course and respect people’s right to protest on 30 November and beyond.”
The Philippines’ biggest demonstrations in years took place on 21 September, as tens of thousands in Manila and elsewhere protested against corruption by government officials, high-level politicians and contractors in flood-control and infrastructure projects.
Isolated incidents of violence from some protesters, including setting vehicles on fire and throwing stones at the police, were reported in Manila. Manila police said they arrested and detained 216 people who were allegedly involved in the violence, including 91 children. Many are facing criminal charges.
However, Amnesty’s research indicates that peaceful protesters and bystanders were also violently targeted by the police.
Rey*, 20, recounted how three men in plain clothes – who he believes were police as they later handed him to uniformed officers – grabbed and punched him in the face as he tried to run away while holding a sign calling on people to take to the streets. The assault on Rey was captured in a video, by an unknown individual, which he found online and showed to Amnesty International.
“Police in uniform joined in to punch, kick and hit me with their batons. I briefly lost consciousness but woke up to pain as they dragged me by my hair,” Rey told Amnesty International.
I told myself, I was done for. I’d never make it out of this tent alive.
He said police accused him of taking part in violence that killed two officers, despite the fact that no police were killed in the protests. Rey said the beating only stopped when one officer warned the others that members of the media were approaching. He also described how he and his friend were taken by uniformed police into an ambulance, where they were beaten further.
Omar*, 25, said he was watching the protests with relatives in Mendiola Street, Manila when he was arrested. Police accused him of being among those who caused violence, including attacking the police. While walking with the police who arrested him, Omar said they passed other officers who punched and hit him with batons. He said he was then held in a tent with around 14 other people, one of whom “had blood dripping from a head wound” which he said was from being hit with a gun by a police officer.
Ahmed*, 17, was arrested alongside his relatives Yusuf*, 18, and Ali*, 19, who all live and do construction work near the protest site. They said they went out to buy rice and were waiting for police to allow them to pass through a protest area on their way back to the construction site when they were arrested.
“The police took us to a tent where they hit us with their batons. They punched us in the face and kicked our torsos,” Ali told Amnesty International. He said they were accused of attacking the police and subsequently detained.