The Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG) strongly denounce the police force’s brutal dispersal of peaceful protesters during the visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on July 22, which resulted in multiple injuries and the illegal arrest of a 22-year-old Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC) volunteer and media worker. We likewise denounce police efforts to physically block and harass journalists who were documenting the arrest. State forces must respect constitutionally guaranteed rights to free expression and peaceful assembly. Suppressing environmental defenders and restricting press freedom are severe abuses of authority that further shrink the country’s democratic space.
We stand in solidarity with the CEC and all civil society organizations exposing the dangerous implications of unequal bilateral deals, such as the Memorandum of Agreement on Critical Minerals and Pax Silica. These agreements risk exposing our natural resources and local communities to unchecked foreign exploitation and plunder under the guise of technological advancement and defense. CPDG seeks full accountability for the violent actions of Pasay police and calls on the government to uphold fundamental human rights, safeguard environmental sovereignty, and immediately cease the criminalization of activists and media workers.