Fact check: Police dispersal, arrest of protesters during Sept. 21 protests reported by media
MANILA, Philippines — Claims of a media blackout in the Philippines — particularly on the police's use of force during the September 21 protests — are false, as multiple news outlets have published reports, photos, and videos showing police dispersals, arrests, and the use of tear gas against demonstrators.
On Sunday, September 21, several posts on TikTok and X said news organizations omitted from their coverage the police violence at the anti-corruptions protests in the Mendiola and Recto area. Some also alleged without basis that there was suppressed news about police killing dozens of demonstrators, or that there were “kidnapped” university students after the rallies.
Rating: This is false.
Facts
Multiple credible local and international news organizations published contemporaneous reports, photos and video documenting the protests, violent incidents in Mendiola and other areas, and police crowd-control measures.
There are no credible reports of mass fatalities attributed to police and supposed abductors entering university dorms to target students.
For instance, news outlets like Philstar.com, Inquirer.net, Rappler and ABS-CBN aired or published video clips (1, 2, 3) showing police throwing tear gas into the crowd and hosing down protesters. Other reports say this was in response to masked protesters who hurled objects at the cops.
The media also published video clips (1, 2) showing police making arrests, including one where police was seen hauling away a minor part of the protests by the neck.
Initial reports of protesters injured on Recto Avenue on Sunday night were also reported by the media, such as Philstar.com and ABS-CBN.
Bilyonaryo also published footage of at least a dozen police officers arresting one protester before beating him with batons and repeatedly kicking his body.
The protester being beaten up has been identified as University of the Philippines Diliman student Matthew Wowi Villanueva, based on the report of the university's student publication, the Philippine Collegian.
Reports have also cited the Manila Police District as saying that 72 protesters were arrested by the end of September 21.
Several media outlets have reported that one still unidentified individual who allegedly joined the demonstrations has died from being stabbed. Another was injured by a gunshot wound and is currently being treated at the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center.
Reporters from ABS-CBN News and News5 were seen being harassed or heckled by protesters while covering live from the rally sites.
Why we fact-checked this
This is not the first time false claims of an extensive news media blackout have circulated following anti-corruption protests.
There were also viral TikTok claims of a media blackout following the September 13 protests, according to a fact-check by Tinig ng Plaridel, the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication's student publication.
False claims of a broad suppression of the news are alarming in the Philippine context, where censorship has historically been seen as a prelude to or possible justification for authoritarian rule.
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