Conflict · Philippines · ArchiveAnti-US Protests, Police Clashes Erupt in Manila as Rubio Visits for ASEAN SummitAired July 23, 2026 at 11:14 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Anti-US protests turned into clashes0:02with police in Manila today as Secretary0:04of State Marco Rubio arrived for the0:06ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting. Let's0:08look at the scene in Pasay City.0:10Filipino activists from the Bayan0:12Alliance attempted to breach a police0:14control point near the Philippine0:16International Convention Center leading0:18to pushing and shoving with anti-riot0:20police. The protesters accused the0:21United States of using the Marcos0:23administration and Philippine territory0:25to foment war in the Asia-Pacific0:27region. The protest comes against the0:28backdrop of a dramatically expanded US0:31military footprint in the Philippines.0:33Under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation0:35Agreement, Washington now has access to0:37nine Philippine military bases up from0:39just five. The so-called Pax Silica0:41Initiative has further deepened American0:43presence across the archipelago. These0:45bases dot the Philippine coastline0:47facing the South China Sea where Beijing0:49has been aggressively expanding its0:51territorial claims. Activists argue the0:53agreement effectively turns the0:55Philippines into a forward staging0:57ground for any potential US-China0:58conflict. A risk Manila's poorest1:00communities would bear most heavily.1:02Three journalists covering the protest1:04were also harassed or detained including1:06veteran Associated Press photojournalist1:09Bullet Marquez and Manila Times chief1:11photographer Rene Dilan.1:13Pasay City Police Chief Colonel Joselito1:15de Sesto acknowledged the targeting of1:17the journalists was a mistake. The1:19Presidential Task Force on Media1:20Security condemned the aggression vowing1:23to hold those responsible accountable.1:25Rubio's Manila visit was packed with1:27high-stakes diplomacy. He met with1:29President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at1:31Malacañang Palace, Chinese Foreign1:33Minister Wang Yi, Russian Foreign1:35Minister Sergey Lavrov and Quad partners1:37at the ASEAN plenary. He warned that1:39Iran's demand to control the Strait of1:41Hormuz threatens the global economy1:43while insisting the US remains open to1:44negotiations with Tehran. But the core1:47tension remains unresolved.1:49The protesters' question echoes beyond1:51the streets of Pasay. Who truly benefits1:53from this deepening military alignment?1:56And who bears the risk of being drawn1:57into a great power conflict neither the1:59Philippines nor its neighbors asked for.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗