MANILA, Philippines – Were there 16,000 or 7,000 protesters? Even cops, so far, could not tell.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) in its different offices has issued contradicting estimates over the real numbers of pro-Duterte protesters gathering in Plaza Miranda on September 21, the National Day of Protest.

The PNP National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) counted the rally to peak at 7,000 while the Manila Police District (MPD) tallied more than double, with their estimate standing at 16,000.

Asked for clarification during a September 22 press briefing about police deployment on the big day, PNP Deputy Spokesperson Vimellee Madrid said they have yet to verify the numbers with the MPD.

The superintendent said in a mix of English and Filipino:“We have dedicated personnel yesterday to monitor, so far that is the number they (NCRPO) have given, so we will verify if [Plaza] Miranda police released a number contradicting or different from what the NCRPO submitted to us.”

Plaza Miranda police did. Cops on the ground tallied 16,000 on a whiteboard as a reference to members of the press covering the protest.

Its numbers reflect figures provided by the MPD Public Information Office (PIO).

Aside from counts in the Plaza Miranda protest, the MPD also gave a slightly higher estimate for the Luneta protest attended by anti-Duterte protesters.

The NCRPO counted 7,000 demonstrators from 5:00 to 6:00 pm, while the MPD counted 8,000 as of 5:30 pm.

*Protesters counted in Mendiola before they proceeded to Luneta

This comes after President Rodrigo Duterte declared September 21 a National Day of Protest, inviting protesters from all sides to take part in remembering of the 45th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law. – Rappler.com