One Dead, Many Arrested In Violent Rallies In Philippines

(MENAFN- IANS) Manila, Sep 22 (IANS) A total of 216 individuals were arrested during anti-corruption protests on Sunday, Philippine Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla said Monday.

Of those detained, 127 were adults and 89 were minors, said Remulla at a press briefing, adding that the suspects have been detained at the Manila Police District.

The Department of Health said that at least one person died during the clash.

On Sunday, tens of thousands of Filipinos took to the streets in Manila and other parts of the country to voice their outrage over widespread corruption, Xinhua news agency reported.

In July, Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos first spoke about the corruption scandal in flood control projects during his State of the Nation Address.

Last week, the Philippine House of Representatives elected Deputy Speaker Faustino Dy as its new speaker, following the resignation of Martin Romualdez over a corruption scandal involving infrastructure projects. The House leadership change came just days after the Senate replaced Francis Escudero with Vicente Sotto as Senate president.

Meanwhile, two suspected rebels were killed in a clash with government troops in Capiz province in the central Philippines, the Philippine military said Sunday.

The military said soldiers engaged seven alleged members of the New People's Army (NPA) during a combat operation in Tapaz town at around 7:45 a.m. local time on Saturday. Two insurgents were killed, while no government soldiers were reported hurt.

Government troops recovered three rifles and several explosives and ammunition at the scene, the military added.

NPA rebels have been fighting government troops since 1969. Military data showed that the NPA's personnel strength has declined since its peak of around 25,000 armed members in the 1980s.

Despite its dwindling fighters, the NPA continues to launch small-scale attacks in the countryside.

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