Six youth members of militant groups were arrested on Wednesday after police tried to disperse a Labor Day rally at the United States embassy, the Manila Police District (MPD) said.

In a radio interview, MPD spokesperson Major Philipp Ines said the six who were arrested would face several charges, including the violation of Batasang Pambansa No. 880 or the Public Assembly Act of 1985 and vandalism.

This came after the protesters allegedly vandalized one of the police trucks during the rally.

“We arrested six members, one of them was female, because they violated BP 880 and our Revised Penal Code Article 1 and 155. That also includes vandalism, because as you can see, they vandalized one of the police vehicles,” Ines said.

Among the arrested, three were from the Pi Sigma Fraternity of the University of the Philippines, two were from Anakbayan South Caloocan, and one was from Nnara Youth.

Lt. Col. Eunice Salas, spokesperson of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said the six are under the custody of the Manila Police District.

Salas said a total of 3,250 persons joined protests in Marikina, Espana, Recto and Mendiola.

Ines added that the groups did not have a permit to conduct a rally in front of the US Embassy but they allowed them to hold their rally which finished at 1 pm.

Various labor groups under the banner of the National Wage Coalition, held protests to urge Congress to pass the legislated wage increase, to oppose the US government’s alleged meddling with Philippine affairs, and to question the franchise consolidation under the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program.

Among the groups that participated in the protests were the TradeUnion Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), Buklurang Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), and Nagkaisa Labor Coalition.

The Manila police and KMU said the Labor Day celebration ended peacefully.

“The celebration and the protests were peaceful today. First of all, we were able to express why they should raise the wages of the workers,” KMU Chairman Elmer Labog said in an interview with dzBB.

“This afternoon, we successfully set foot in front of the US Embassy itself after so many years of the police hindering us from getting here,” he added.

In a separate interview, Ines said the celebration went smoothly despite experiencing some tensions with protestors.

“Initially, it was peaceful. We just had some tensions in Roxas Boulevard where some progressive groups were forcing their way to the US embassy, which is not one of our freedom parks,” Ines said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS