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Police arrest 6 militants during clash near US Embassy in Manila


Early-morning tension erupted near the US Embassy in Manila when police personnel clashed with a number of militants holding a ligthning rally to mark the 24th anniversary of the historic Philippine Senate vote rejecting the countinued stay of the US military bases in the country.

A report on "News TV Live" said the protesters, poising as joggers along Roxas Boulevard, converged in front of the US Ebassy armed with paint bombs and small placards and called for an end to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the US and the Philippines.
 
Militants engaged anti-riot police in a shoving match as they lobbed paint bombs at the embassy gate and waved anti-EDCA placards as they charged towards police lines near the embassy gate.

The windshield of a patrol car was hit by a hard object and broke during the clash that ended with the arrest of six protesters.

Traffic buildup on the section the Roxas Boulevard near the embassy occurred for a few minutes before the protesters were dispersed.

But the militants vowed to continue their protest plan, including a march rally going to the Supreme Court later in the day.

In a press release, militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said members of their alliances would converge at the Supreme Court and the US Embassy.

It denounced the alleged "continuing US intervention and the plan to bring back US bases under the EDCA."

Bayan is calling on the SC to resolve several petitions questioning the EDCA which were filed last year. Petitioners included former senators, party-list lawmakers, activists, academics and church leaders. — LBG, GMA News

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