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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Bayan's Reyes denies involvement in Sept. 21, 2025 Manila riots

Bayan's Reyes denies involvement in Sept. 21, 2025 Manila riots

Published Feb 4, 2026 04:02 pm
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, denied his involvement in the riots in Manila during the anti-corruption rallies on Sept. 21, 2025.
Reyes was at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and submitted his counter-affidavit on the charges of sedition, inciting to sedition, and conspiracy to commit sedition filed against him and 35 other respondents by the Major Crimes Investigation Unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP-MCIU).
During an interview, Reyes claimed that all the accusations made by the police were concocted, false, no basis and “the public know that we did not start the disturbance.”
He pointed out that they have a strong defense and “the fabricated case of the police will be dismissed.”
He recalled that he was in Mendiola last Sept. 21 but, he said, it was public knowledge that when the disturbance started, “I was one of the first persons who got hurt when the stone throwing took place and I had to be rushed to the hospital emergency room.”
Thus, he pointed out that “it’s very strange na ‘yung sinasabi nila na ako daw ay nag-udyok, ako daw ay nag-command ng mga tao na lusubin yung mga barikada (that I was the one who started and made the command to attack the barricades).”
National Union of People’s Lawyers-National Capital Region (NUPL-NCR) Secretary General and lawyer Christina Conti, Reyes’ counsel, said the panel of prosecutors conducting the preliminary investigation has submitted the complaints for resolution.
“There are absolutely no grounds to proceed with the sedition complaint filed by the PNP, no reason to go to court with these new charges that target rallyists and bystanders last Sept. 21, 2025,” Conti said.
She added that the charges were based on false statements by police officers and dubious social media monitoring.
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