Policemen picks up one of the alleged rioters in the evening of Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025.
Philstar.com / Ian Laqui
MANILA, Philippines — Claims of a media blackout in the Philippines — particularly on the police's use of force during the September 21 protests — are false, as multiple news outlets have published reports, photos, and videos showing police dispersals, arrests, and the use of tear gas against demonstrators.
On Sunday, September 21, several posts on TikTok and X said news organizations omitted from their coverage the police violence at the anti-corruptions protests in the Mendiola and Recto area. Some also alleged without basis that there was suppressed news about police killing dozens of demonstrators, or that there were “kidnapped” university students after the rallies.
Multiple credible local and international news organizations published contemporaneous reports, photos and video documenting the protests, violent incidents in Mendiola and other areas, and police crowd-control measures.
There are no credible reports of mass fatalities attributed to police and supposed abductors entering university dorms to target students.
For instance, news outlets like Philstar.com, Inquirer.net, Rappler and ABS-CBN aired or published video clips (1, 2, 3) showing police throwing tear gas into the crowd and hosing down protesters. Other reports say this was in response to masked protesters who hurled objects at the cops.
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