Detained students released, to press counter-charges vs cops

Six militant students arrested in a violent rally dispersal in Manila Thursday were released Friday afternoon, even as their colleagues plan to file charges against police. The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) said that had the students not protested, the six would not have been released, and charges against them not dropped. NUSP president Alvin Peters said the students were eventually released with all charges dropped pending further investigation. He voiced appreciation to Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim for helping expedite their release. “We are determined to file the necessary criminal and administrative charges against the police involved and their respective commanders," Peters said in a statement posted on the Kilusan Web site before midnight Friday. “ We want to teach the police a lesson. What happened yesterday should not happen to innocent youth and students again. We were treated worse than common criminals," he added. Students from Southern Luzon also participated in the student rally held earlier Friday at the Manila Hotel while students from Mindanao simultaneously held a Mindanao-wide walkout of classes. The students were protesting the government-backed education summit attended by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. “We have every right to air our grievances regarding the worsening crisis in education especially since we were deliberately excluded from participating in the education summit. But instead of listening to us, all we got in return was brutal violence from the government," Peters said. - GMANews.TV