Three students of the University of Makati (UMak) who participated in a protest against Pax Silica were arrested earlier today, November 13, in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

According to Panday Sining UMak, uniformed police officers and intelligence personnel in plainclothes surrounded the demonstrators, confronting them over an alleged unauthorized assembly and confiscating their placards.

In a statement, Anakbayan UMak condemned the violent, arbitrary arrest. “This is how the rotten government of Marcos Jr. treats students who are peacefully expressing their sentiments,” the group said.

During the dispersal, police officers blocked the students from both sides and forcibly apprehended one participant. Video footage from Karapatan National Capital Region showed that a police officer punched a female student who attempted to free another arrested student. A police officer was captured headlocking one of the arrested students. who can be seen to be put in a headlock by a police officer in another video report. 

Karapatan NCR also reported that a paralegal who responded to the forceful arrest was threatened with charges by police officers. 

The three students are currently detained at BGC Police Station 1 and face initial charges of alarms and scandal. The arrests unfolded amid youth-led protests across the country, as students rallied against the expected arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump, the chief architect behind the widely opposed Pax Silica initiative, for the ASEAN Summit. (RVO)