MANILA, Philippines -- Militants from the Southern Tagalog Region, who joined the rally at the Batasan Pambansa for the State of the Nation Address, "arrested" seven men but denied that they mauled them.

"Our marshals were just asking them who they were or what organization they belonged to since we did not know them. But instead, they resisted and ran away," Virgilio Colandog, one of the rally marshals, said in a phone interview.

This prompted the militants to run after and "arrest" them.

"If they did not have any other intention but to join the rally, why would they run away?" he added, suspecting that the men were prying on the leaders of the militant organizations from Southern Tagalog.

Colandog identified the seven through identification cards recovered from them as Elisio Datul Jr. of Eagle Matrix Security Agency, Antonio Nagas of Guardians Action Group, Rodrigo Gaquit of Tomcat Security Agency, Hedelsus Delapena, Benjamin Dolyente, Romeo Torenia, and Sergeant Roger Ipiscua of the Philippine Army Reserve Command based in Camp Riego de Dios in Tanza, Cavite.

Colandog said one of the men tripped off when he ran from the militants "(and) then he claimed that he was mauled."

He, however, admitted that a rally marshal punched Ipiscua on the face after the latter resisted the militants.

The seven were turned over to the Quezon City police, Colandog said.

In Naga City, the Philippine Army held participants of the anti-government rally aboard seven public utility jeepneys and prevented them from coming to the city to join the protest here, according to a militant leader.

Bong Responde, spokesperson of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan, New Patriotic Alliance) in Camarines Sur, said three jeepneys in Libmanan and four jeepneys in Pasacao full of protesters were still held by Army soldiers in a checkpoint in San Isidro, Libmanan, Camarines Sur, as of 12 noon.

Responde added that protesters from Bato, Camarines Sur, aboard seven jeepneys, were also prevented from coming to Naga City and were held in a checkpoint in Nabua, Camarines Sur.

He said there were at least 200 protesters in 14 jeepneys who were not allowed to go through the military checkpoints.

Major Christopher Morales, spokesman of the 9th Infantry Division, said that as of 2 p.m., they did not yet have any report of protesters being held at the military checkpoints.

Maricar Cinco and Juan Escandor Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon