Protesters marred Independence Day celebrations in the Philippines Tuesday by swarming the streets of Manila and denouncing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as a "lapdog of Americans."
At least four were hurt as more than 1,000 people clashed with hundreds of riot police who kept protesters from crossing the Mendiola Bridge to get to the Malacanang presidential palace. No arrests were made, according to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
The demonstrators carried signs reading: "Gloria, lapdog of Americans" and "Oust Gloria." They criticized a recently signed anti-terrorism law and the alleged anti-poor policies of Arroyo's administration.
The country gained independence from Spanish colonial rule 109 years ago.
Said Renato Reyes, secretary-general of the leftist group Bayan, according to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur: "This administration stands against everything that the independence movement stood for more than 100 years ago."
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