Several protesters clashed with riot police officers of the Manila Police District (MPD) near the Mendiola Peace Arch in Mendiola, Manila, as they tried to breach the police barricade going to Malacañang Palace on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 21.
After an intense scuffle on Ayala Bridge earlier, balaclava-wearing protesters tried to provoke the police once again by throwing rocks, plastic bottles, metal fences, and even a firecracker at them as the police water cannoned the instigators.
The police were also forced to use a long-range acoustic device to disperse the protesters.
However, this did not deter them from further intensifying their provocation towards the police while waving a Philippine flag and flags with the symbol of the "Straw Hat Pirates" from the anime "One Piece" which has become a global protest symbol of fighting corruption in different parts of the world including Nepal and Indonesia.
Two people were left hurt during the clash between the masked protesters and the police on Ayala Bridge earlier, including a policeman and DzBB reporter Manny Vargas, who were both hit by rocks thrown by the masked youth.
The police have arrested 17 of the young instigators, the youngest of whom was 11 years old.