Marilyn Cahatol

Then-BAYAN Secretary General Renato Reyes gives a solidarity message during  the noise barrage outside the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center in Quezon City on July 18, 2020. Gigie Cruz, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

ABS-CBN Franchise

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176854314763020200718-abscbn-solidarity-GCS-6358-s.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Then-BAYAN Secretary General Renato Reyes gives a solidarity message during  the noise barrage outside the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center in Quezon City on July 18, 2020. <em>Gigie Cruz, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Activist Renato Reyes on Friday called sedition and cybercrime complaints the police filed against him over violence after the anti-corruption rally on September 21, 2025 “patently false”, stressing he could not have led the clashes since he was in the hospital for an injury.</p><p>Reyes, president of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, is among the respondents in complaints that the Philippine National Police filed against activists who attended September 21 protest that started at Luneta and ended on Mendiola Street in Manila. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/11/3/cidg-files-raps-vs-97-people-over-september-21-protest-violence-1228">CIDG files raps vs 97 people over September 21 protest violence</a></div><p>“The allegations against me are patently false, and the claims of sedition are entirely manufactured. These charges rest solely on the fact that I attended the September 21 protest and am a publicly known activist,” Reyes said in a Facebook post.</p><p>He said he was informed Wednesday by the National Union of People’s Lawyers that the Department of Justice had issued a subpoena for him for charges of sedition, inciting to sedition, and violations of the Cybercrime Law filed by the PNP.</p><p>He said he has “now been added to the long list of individuals facing false charges stemming from the incidents in Mendiola,” where <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/22/93-police-officers-injured-113-protesters-arrested-in-violent-september-21-demonstration-0843">at least 200 protesters were arrested</a> for alleged violent acts.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;BAYAN PROTEST OVER WHEN VIOLENCE ERUPTED&#x27;<br/></strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Reyes said that when the commotion sparked that day, he had already left Mendiola because of an injury that required stitches at a hospital.</p><p>“[T]he claim that I ‘incited defiance and confrontation with law enforcers’ during the clashes is a total fabrication,” he said.</p><p>“The Bayan program had ended, we were already leaving via organized dispersal when a commotion broke out in Mendiola. Stones were being thrown and I got hit in the face,” Reyes <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nato.reyes/posts/pfbid02wJ1TA6pDiMHnThjnb26VNhe9TakkNcGKPHjqcANGXgFmMFYxZjJ9NyB7F3KH6Nw6l">posted </a>on Facebook at 5:17 p.m. of September 21.</p><p>He said in the same post that he did not know who was involved, only that “[t]hey’re not affiliated with Bayan.”</p><p>In an interview with ANC the next day, he said several Bayan members were also arrested by the police despite not being involved.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/22/abs-cbn-reporters-describe-what-they-saw-during-sept-21-rallies-1055">ABS-CBN reporters describe what they saw during Sept 21 rallies</a></div><div> </div><div><strong>&#x27;CHILLING EFFECT&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Reyes said the complaints that the PNP filed could discourage the anti-corruption protests that were sparked by widespread graft in flood-control projects. </p><p>He said the complaints “[send] a warning to dissenters: they will be prosecuted for their public statements or social media posts” </p><p>Reyes encouraged anti-corruption groups to denounce the harassment of activists.</p><p>He also underscored that no “big fish” have so far been held accountable for the massive corruption issue, six months after a probe into it was announced.</p><p>“[T]he Marcos regime appears more preoccupied with prosecuting protesters than pursuing corrupt public officials,” he also said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/28/wrap-dozens-still-in-detention-a-week-since-massive-anti-corruption-protests-2100">WRAP: Dozens still in detention a week since massive anti-corruption protests</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nNQNTqKFfX8?si=BW6T4gRS3Ili02Dr" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Activist Renato Reyes on Friday called sedition and cybercrime complaints the police filed against him over violence after the anti-corruption rally on September 21, 2025 “patently false”, stressing he could not have led the clashes since he was in the hospital for an injury.</p>

Activist Renato Reyes on Friday called sedition and cybercrime complaints the police filed against him over violence after the anti-corruption rally on September 21, 2025 “patently false”, stressing he could not have led the clashes since he was in the hospital for an injury.

Bayan's Reyes: Sedition raps over Sept. 21 violence ‘entirely manufactured’

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Nation

Bayan's Reyes: Sedition raps over Sept. 21 violence ‘entirely manufactured’

Marilyn Cahatol,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 16, 2026 03:00 PM PHT

Read More:

Renato Reyes Jr.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan

Sept. 21

Philippine National Police

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

Sign Up

I have read and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.