Philippine protests against injustice under President rule

Protesters destroy an effigy of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr during the rally. Pic/AP

Hundreds of people marched in the Philippine capital on Saturday, protesting what they said was a rising number of extrajudicial killings and other injustices under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The protesters, led by a Philippines-based rights group, gathered at a public square in Manila before marching toward the presidential palace to demand justice for victims. Police estimated around 800 protesters took part in the rally, which coincided with International Human Rights Day. The protesters held a brief programme near the palace, then dispersed peacefully shortly after noon.

Cristina Palabay of the rights group Karapatan said under the Marcos administration's counter-insurgency campaign the group has documented at least 17 cases of extrajudicial killings. The number of political prisoners has continued to rise, with 828 detained as of November 30, Palabay said, noting that at least 25 of them were arrested after Marcos took office in June. "Despite these sordid figures, there has been zero justice for the victims of extrajudicial killings," Palabay said in a statement. "The culture of impunity continues to rear its ugly head."

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Organisers said among the protesters in Manila and other parts of the country, were families of activists who disappeared, or were tortured during the administration of Marcos' father and namesake, ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos, as well as human rights victims under former President Rodrigo Duterte, whose brutal war on drugs is under investigation by the International Criminal Court after leaving thousands dead.

"We come together as families of victims from different regimes and presidents," Evangeline Hernandez, chairperson of a human rights victims group, said in a statement. The UN Human Rights Council has urged the Marcos administration to address the alleged killings and other rights abuses.

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