No Protester Deaths Reported During Martial Law Anniversary Rallies in Philippines

Reports circulating on social media claiming the deaths of two protesters at the gates of Malacañang during the September 21, 2026 rallies marking the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law under the Marcos regime have been confirmed as false by Rappler. The claim originated from a Facebook account, "JAN Writer," which alleged that "Two protesters are dead at the gates of Malacañang on the 54th anniversary of Martial Law under Marcos Jr. Where are the Kakampink human rights warriors now? Oh, right, they’re too busy helping Marcos impeach Sara Duterte to care about state-sanctioned dead bodies on Ayala Bridge." The post was later deleted but had already been screenshotted and reposted by at least three other Facebook accounts, with copies continuing to circulate independently. One such post was published by Facebook page "Cebu Flash Report," which has 240,000 followers and has made false claims previously fact-checked by Rappler. The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has categorically denied any fatalities during the protests, stating that no deaths were recorded and that a brief period of tension was resolved through dialogue. NCRPO spokesperson Police Major Hazel Asilo clarified that the only related incident was the arrest of two individuals for vandalism in Recto. Both were later released with a warning. Major news organizations covering the September 21, 2026 demonstrations, including Rappler and Gulf News, published stories on the marches, security measures, and moments of tension throughout the day—but no fatalities were reported. The false claim appears to have conflated the 2026 Martial Law demonstrations with the 2025 riots in Manila, which broke out amid a massive demonstration at EDSA denouncing government corruption. Two deaths were linked to last year’s riots: a 15-year-old who was fatally stabbed near Recto Avenue, and a 35-year-old construction worker who died from a gunshot wound. The Facebook account "JAN Writer" later confirmed that this was the source of the error, admitting in a follow-up post: "I mixed up the current incident with an older news report about two people who died during the previous Mendiola rally in September last year." Posts circulating online still bearing the false claim, however, have made no mention of this retraction. 2026 martial law anniversary protests: September 21, 2026 marked the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law under Ferdinand E. Marcos. Groups gathered in Manila to remember victims of Martial Law and demand accountability for human rights violations. The commemoration also became an anti-corruption mobilization, with protesters raising concerns over alleged irregularities involving flood-control projects and public funds. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and other youth, sectoral, and civil society groups gathered at Liwasang Bonifacio before marching toward Mendiola. Information source: Rappler Philippines