“They have gone too far,” a Philippine National Police officer said on Friday 1 May 2026, after a Labour Day march toward the United States Embassy in Manila ended in a scuffle on Roxas Boulevard. “Someone hit us with a bamboo on the head. Our policeman was injured and had his cellphone snatched.”
Police video aired by GMA News showed a protester punching an officer. The injured policeman has since had a CT scan to check the extent of his injuries.
Two accounts of the clash
Kilusang Mayo Uno, one of the groups leading the march, rejected the police version. KMU Vice Chair Lito Luces said it was clear his members did not start the trouble and that nobody had punched an officer. Police, he said, were the ones stirring up fights. Tensions rose again when authorities turned water on the crowd.
The rally, led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and KMU, had set out from Espana Boulevard. Arab Times reported that thousands took part. Their demands were economic: a minimum daily wage of PHP 1,200, and the removal of value-added tax and excise duties on fuel, with living costs rising and fuel prices in crisis. Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Sarah Elago told the crowd that past human rights gains came through mass mobilisation.
Barricades on Espana
Elsewhere, labor and transport groups marching along Espana Boulevard toward Malacanang Palace found their way shut by concrete and steel barriers and container vans. KMU Chairperson Emeritus Elmer Labog condemned the blockade, saying it showed that the palace did not want to hear the grievances of workers.
The National Capital Region Police Office chief, Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin, said the aim was never to keep marchers away from Mendiola but to keep the day peaceful. The Association of Genuine Labor Organizations held its own protest, asking for more protection and benefits for workers, for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to leave office, and for an end to the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Despite the altercations, the PNP said Labour Day protests across Metro Manila were generally peaceful and orderly. Similar rallies took place elsewhere in the country, including Baguio.
Sources
- Authorities, protesters face off in Manila Labor Day demonstration (GMA News Online)
- Clashes Erupt Near US Embassy in Manila During Labor Day Protest (Arab Times)
