Event Summary
On 29 November 2025, one day before nationwide anti-corruption protests planned for Bonifacio Day, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro Jr. publicly warned that individuals calling for a “withdrawal of support” from the government could be arrested and charged with inciting to sedition. Teodoro argued that such calls amount to an indirect attempt to “take over power,” framing them as illegal acts, and referring to calls by the Makabayan bloc demanding the resignation of both the President and Vice President and the creation of a people’s transition government.
The warning follows earlier destabilization charges filed by the Philippine National Police–CIDG against 97 individuals accused of rebellion, sedition, and inciting sedition connected to the 21 September 2025 nationwide anti-corruption protests, which denounced the trillion-peso DPWH flood control scandal.
Despite no “credible threats” identified by authorities, the 30 November protests were met with an extensive security show of force:
- 20,000+ protesters mobilised across multiple cities, including large rallies in Luneta and Quezon City, demanding accountability for the “Trillion-Peso” flood-control scandal, which has triggered widespread public anger after allegations of kickbacks, “ghost projects,” and collapsed infrastructure linked to senior officials.
- 15,000 police officers were deployed across Metro Manila, with the largest concentration in Luneta, where the Makabayan-led “Baha sa Luneta 2.0” was held.
- Barbed-wire barricades, container vans blocking all access roads to Malacañang, and strict crowd-control measures.
Civil-society groups warn that the Defense Secretary’s remarks deliberately target nationalist and left-leaning organisations — particularly the Makabayan bloc — which have historically been subjected to red-tagging, criminalization, and violence. Protesters and civil-society groups described the deployment as “overkill.” Secretary Remulla dismissed the allegation, stating: “There’s no such thing as overkill… The overkill is if we’re hurting someone.”
These developments have raised immediate concern among journalists, human-rights monitors, and protest organizers, who view it as a direct threat to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. Together with the September charges, the 30 November events point to a widening pattern of criminalisation and intimidation of groups engaged in anti-corruption advocacy, raising concerns over the protection of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and political participation in the Philippines.