PNP: Videos show protesters got paid

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday said the people who participated in an anti-Marcos rally at the EDSA Shrine in Quezon City were transported from their barangay and were promised food and money. PNP spokesman Col. Jean Fajardo said the participants were allegedly transported from their barangay (villages) to the EDSA Shrine and were promised they would be fed and paid. Fajardo said a video presented by the police showed a man who claimed they were invited to EDSA Shrine for three days with the commitment that they would be paid. "In fact, some of them were allegedly complaining because what was promised to them was... P500 for three days, but [they] were only given P200," Fajardo said in Filipino and English. Another video presented to the PNP showed that the names of the participants were taken down in a logbook that showed that those who participated were given P200, which was described as a "rally allowance." "This did not come from us; we only saw that spreading on social media, so I'm not sure if this was the same scheme without demeaning the purpose of why they were there," Fajardo said. The spokesman, however, admitted that it is not clear if the contents of the video are true, but it was widely shared online. Hundreds of supporters of Vice President Sara Duterte gathered at the EDSA Shrine on Tuesday, saying they were angry at the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The PNP estimated that there were still 100 people at the EDSA Shrine, as the church continued with its regular schedule without any disruptions.