Human rights alliance seeks UMak students’ assault probe

The Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) on Sunday has condemned the Philippine National Police (PNP) over the arrest and detention of three University of Makati (UMak) students during a protest in Taguig City last Friday.

In a statement, the rights group said the apprehension of the demonstrators raises serious concerns over the state’s respect for constitutional rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

The three arrested individuals, identified in student reports as student councilors, were participating in a youth-led mobilization outside their campus in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig City.

The picket was part of the nationwide National Youth Day of Action opposing the US-led Pax Silica initiative — a proposed artificial intelligence and semiconductor manufacturing hub in New Clark City, Tarlac — and coincided with US President Donald Trump’s arrival for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

According to eyewitness accounts from student organizations, including Panday Sining UMak and the UMak College of Governance and Public Policy Student Council, uniformed police officers and plainclothes intelligence personnel surrounded the protesters and confronted them over the alleged lack of a rally permit.

Despite attempts by the students to negotiate and wrap up their program, officers allegedly confiscated their placards and forcibly dispersed the crowd.

During the dispersal, police reportedly punched several demonstrators and placed one student in a chokehold before taking the three councilors into custody.

The students were initially detained at the BGC Police Sub-Station 1 before being brought to Taguig City Hall for inquest proceedings, where they reportedly face charges of alarms and scandals.

The UMak School of Law has stepped in to provide legal counsel to the detainees.

PAHRA demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the three students and urged the PNP Human Rights Affairs Office to conduct an impartial investigation into the arrests and allegations of physical assault and excessive force.