Philippine groups called for an investigation into the Quezon City police after journalists covering a farmers’ protest were injured and manhandled during attempts to disperse demonstrators outside the Department of Agrarian Reform on Oct. 19.
Bulatlat.com reporter Aaron Ernest Cruz was pushed and pulled by police officers while covering the protest despite identifying himself as a journalist and showing his press ID, according to media groups.
The Altermidya Network said police attempted to apprehend Cruz as the protest was underway.
In video footage, Cruz was seen surrounded and dragged by police officers. His shirt was torn, and his bag went missing after the incident.
“We denounce such assault on journalists covering the protest. We demand an impartial investigation into the QCPD on the violent dispersal of farmers, and on the assault and attempted arrest of journalists covering the protest. Such attacks are an affront to free expression and the people’s right to know,” said Altermidya Network.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said Cruz could be heard shouting “Taga-Media ako” while displaying his identification card.
“Yet, during the incident, police were still using force in an attempt to restrain Cruz,” the group said.
A campus journalist from Far Eastern University and Tudla Productions correspondent Robie Matias was also injured during the attempted dispersal.
The College Editors Guild of the Philippines said Matias was caught in the middle of a confrontation between police and protesters earlier that afternoon.
“Matias said that the police deliberately stepped on him. He experienced symptoms of heartburn after the incident but has already been taken care of at the first aid station,” the guild said.
Altermidya also reported that one of its interns was targeted by police. “Police officers pulled the intern and tried to drag them away from the protest,” the group said.
Tanggol Magsasaka also called for an investigation into the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), saying at least 28 farmers and supporters, including media workers, were injured during confrontations at the protest camp.
The group said police first dismantled parts of the camp at about 2 p.m., injuring at least 23 peasant advocates, before violence broke out again later that afternoon when officers entered the protesters’ ranks and attempted to arrest individuals.
“We condemn the QCPD and its leadership for this series of human rights violations,” the group said. It called on the Quezon City government, the Commission on Human Rights, and other agencies to investigate and hold accountable police personnel involved in the incidents.
The Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) said the incidents amounted to intimidation and attacks on press freedom.
“Journalists must be able to report, document protests, and expose human rights violations without fear of violence or arbitrary arrest. Any attack on the media is an attack on the people’s right to know, and any attack on the people’s right to know is an attack on democracy itself,” it added.
The NUJP cited the Philippine National Police’s Revised Media Relations Policy and an October 2025 agreement between the National Police Commission and the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, which it said prohibits the use of force against media workers and provides mechanisms for investigating complaints against police personnel.
“We demand that these safeguards be applied in Cruz’s case, that the officers involved be held accountable, and that the PNP ensure journalists can cover protests without fear of violence or obstruction,” the NUJP said.
The protest took place during Peasant Month, observed in October.
“Neither peaceful protest nor journalistic work should be met with police violence,” PAHRA said.
