The Philippine National Police (PNP) unleashed its "secret weapon" to "calm" protestors during Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit closing held in Metro Manila.
Police said they used music for "calming effect." Metro Manila police spokeswoman chief inspector Kimberly Gonzales said the music was aimed at de-escalating tensions. "Filipinos in general love music, and it has a calming effect for everyone. This goes well with our maximum tolerance policy during protests," she said.
The PNP played hits by Katy Perry, Dolly Parton and the Bee Gees on loudspeakers to drain out the chants by the protestors. Philippine Inquirer reports that "some of the policemen tapped their batons against their shields in time with the music." They have used such technique in past rallies.
Perry's hit song Roar was on top of the disco playlist that the PNP have prepared for the protestors. Its aim was to distract the protesters and drowning out their chants. Other songs played were Dolly Parton's Islands in the stream, David Guetta's Sexy Bitch and the Bee Gee's How Deep Is Your Love.
The protestors rallied outside the Redemptorist Church compound in Baclaran, Parañaque City, around 8 a.m., followed two hours later by a clash at the Buendia-Roxas Boulevard intersection in Pasay.
"We are only asserting our right to air our grievances, so I don't understand why they are not letting us through," said Kerlan Fanagel, chair of Pasaka, a confederation of lumad organizations in Southern Mindanao. "Resist imperialist plunder and militarization in Mindanao! Apec hands off our lands!" read one streamer.
Everything was going fine at first. However, the rally edged towards violence when protesters tried to break through lines of riot police to reach the summit venue.
According to ABC, "police responded by firing water cannons and scuffled with protesters, comprising of indigenous, student and labor groups, who chanted: 'Junk APEC.'"
