At least 28 protesters were injured as police forces and various militant groups protesting against the ongoing Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Manila clashed at the intersection of Buendia Avenue and Roxas Boulevard on Thursday.
As of 12 p.m., Dr. Joseph Carabeo, secretary general of the Health Alliance for Democracy, told INQUIRER.net that 28 protesters have been treated for injuries—eight of whom—were rushed to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) for further treatment.
Carabeo said some of the injuries were deep head cuts, which was why the first-aid team decided to rush the protesters to PGH.
The head of the paramedics team added that other cases include hyperventilation, dizziness, heat allergy and passing out.
Armed with shields and wooden sticks, police forces blocked protesters from penetrating Roxas Boulevard in an attempt to march all the way to the Philippine International Convention Center, where Apec meetings are being held.
Tension started to rise when the government security forces bombed the protesters using water cannons.
Philippine National Police spokesperson Wilben Mayor said the use of water cannons was part of the police’s graduated response, calling it “less confrontational.”
Meanwhile, Bagong Alyansan Makabayan (Bayan) secretary general Renato Reyes slammed the police response to mass actions, saying that it serves the interests of foreigners rather than protecting the basic rights of Filipinos.
“We condemn the heavy handed response of the PH government against the anti-APEC protesters. For days now, protesters have been blocked in and out of Manila. The Aquino regime, in its drive to please its foreign masters, has committed the wholesale violation of the people’s rights,” Reyes said.
“The Filipino people detest the APEC for placing on the public the heavy burden of hosting this event. We decry the disruption of the lives of millions as well as the hefty price tag placed on this expensive going away party of Aquino. We reject the false promise of development peddled by APEC. We’ve heard the same rhetoric in 1996. It is time for a new framework that places people’s welfare and the national interest ahead of private profits for billionaires,” he added. RAM
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