(UPDATE) Youth activists arrested over US embassy protest
By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:47:00 07/24/2008
Filed Under: Police, Youth, Protest, Conflicts (general)
MANILA, Philippines -- Four youth activists, including the leaders of two organizations, were arrested and five others injured after police dispersed protesters outside the US embassy in Manila Thursday.
Senior Police Officer 1 Jerry Campo said Arrested were League of Filipino Students (LFS) national chairman Vencer Crisostomo, Anakbayan national chairman Ken Ramos, Marvin Serrano, and EJ Aguirre, who were nabbed soon after the 2 p.m. rally was dispersed, were released around 4:20 p.m. with no charges filed against them.
The protesters had gathered outside the embassy on Roxas Boulevard to rail against “the continuing intervention of the US in our economy, which is to blame for the worsening crisis at present,” said Ron Villegas, LFS vice chairman.
But the activists were blocked at the embassy’s gates by personnel of the Manila Police District who allegedly pushed them away with anti-riot shields, forcing the protesters to retreat to Kalaw Avenue.
During the brief commotion, Aaron Castil, Liberty Sardina, Jeffrey Domingo, Katrina Andres, and Alex Belmonte were injured and taken to the Ospital ng Maynila for treatment.
Protesters were urging the government to get rid of “globalization policies that encourage deregulation, liberalization, and privatization, which have caused greater harm to our economy,” said Crisostomo.
Villegas called on the government to stop being a “puppet” of foreign powers and to be self-sufficient.
He said Thursday’s arrests and “dispersal will not stop the students from joining the bigger rallies set as Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's state of the nation address nears.”
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