A University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman student was allegedly beaten by police during his arrest at the anti-corruption protest in Mendiola last Sunday.
A video shared online by the Philippine Collegian shows a person identified as Mattheo Villanueva of the UP College of Arts and Letters with his hands raised while being dragged, kicked and hit by multiple police officers.
Fatima Mendoza, a UP Diliman Student’s Rights and Welfare councilor, disclosed in an Oonline interview that Villanueva was a security marshal for the UP contingent at the protest.
“His family was informed of his situation, and the UP Diliman University Student Council has organized a legal counsel and a quick response team for him,” Mendoza said.
Meantime, Manila Police District (MPD) spokesperson Major Philipp Ines confirmed that Villanueva was among those arrested and that inquest proceedings were underway Tuesday at MPD headquarters.
Ines did not comment on the alleged police brutality, only stating, “If he was among the arrested, there are ongoing inquest proceedings at the MPD HQ. They have prosecutors there.”
The Philippine National Police previously denied using firearms or tear gas on protesters, claiming that “rogue protesters” were responsible for throwing molotov cocktails.