FACT CHECK: No reported deaths during September 21 Martial Law anniversary protests

The National Capital Region Police Office categorically denied the claim, saying no fatalities were recorded and that a brief period of tension was resolved through dialogue

AT A GLANCE

• A claim that two protesters died during the September 21, 2026 rallies was found to be false.
• The National Capital Region Police Office confirmed that no fatalities occurred during the protests, only reporting two arrests for vandalism.
• The false claim originated from a Facebook post that conflated the 2026 protests with a previous incident from 2025, which involved actual fatalities.

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Claim: Two protesters died at the gates of Malacañang during the September 21, 2026 rallies marking the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A Facebook account with 165,000 followers called “JAN Writer” posted: “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 deleted shortly after, but not before it was screenshotted and reposted by at least three other Facebook accounts. These copies, some reproducing the original wording, continue 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 facts: The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) categorically denied reports that two individuals died during the protests, saying no fatalities 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.

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. (READ: Outrage in Manila: What happened in the September 21 riots)

The Facebook account “JAN Writer” later confirmed that this was the source of 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. (READ: Martial Law, the dark chapter in Philippine history)

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.

Debunked: Rappler has previously debunked other false claims about martial law and related protests:

• FACT CHECK: Malacañang ‘statement’ on potential martial law declaration is fake
• FACT CHECK: Claim of Congress under ‘martial law’ is false; video misuses term
• FACT CHECK: Lies about EDSA, Martial Law, Marcoses
• FALSE: ‘No massacres’ during Martial Law

– James Bones/Rappler.com

James Bones is a Research and Data volunteer at Rappler. He is a fourth-year Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering student at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines – Manila.

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