The Council of Bishops of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) has denounced the violent dispersal and mass arrests of protesters during the September 21 demonstrations.
The Protestant prelates demanded the release of 216 people—including minors—who were taken into custody.
In a September 23 statement, the bishops recalled how thousands of Filipinos marched across the country to oppose corruption and remember Martial Law.
They said the events proved that “no threat, no bureaucratic manipulation, and no brute force can silence their demand for justice.”
But they warned that what happened in Mendiola echoed a “playbook of tyranny.” The bishops said the peaceful rally was disrupted by “unlawful arrests and excessive use of force,” adding that “tear gas, water cannons, and police batons rained down on innocent protesters.”
According to media reports, at least 216 people were detained, including 91 minors, the youngest only nine years old.
“Families and lawyers were barred from seeing them, a blatant violation of both domestic and international laws protecting children and due process,” the bishops said. “Many were bloodied and traumatized, all for daring to stand for justice.”
The council argued that the violence revealed “the brokenness of a system that shields the corrupt while criminalizing peoples’ dissent,” adding that “the powerful rob the people of their dignity and resources, yet it is the poor and the young who are dragged into cells for raising their voices.”
The bishops called for the immediate “release of all 216 victims of illegal arrest and detention, especially the minors who were deprived not only of their liberty but of their right to the care of their families and counsel of their lawyers.”
“Our God is the God of Justice. As a church, we must continue to take heed of the lessons of the past, resist the ongoing corruption and repression of today, and remain steadfast in hope that God’s justice will prevail. To demand justice is not a crime. To steal is,” the bishops said.
