The Philippine National Police (PNP) has filed criminal charges against the protesters who allegedly attacked at least eight policemen during the Bonifacio Day rally in Manila.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said that while only one was arrested and was named in the complaint, investigation is still ongoing to establish the identity of other protesters involved in the violent clash on Saturday, Nov. 30, along Recto Avenue in Manila.
The arrested protester is reportedly a member of the Kilusang Mayo Uno.
“We already filed the case before the Manila Prosecutor’s Office on Dec. 1 against him. The leader of the KMU was also included in the filing and several other people who were seen in the video hurting our policemen,” said Fajardo.
Among the cases filed were violations of the Batas Pambansa 880 or the Public Assembly Act of 1985, direct assault, and disobedience to a person in authority.
Fajardo said there is also an effort to recover a body-worn camera allegedly stolen by one of the protesters.
Protesters clashed with policemen on Saturday, prompting the Manila Police District to deploy more cops to contain the situation.
The PNP leadership condemned the incident.