IN PHOTOS: Filipino students protest Pax Silica, Trump visit ahead of ASEAN Summit

Hundreds of students from the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University, the University of the Philippines Diliman, and Miriam College joined the One Katipunan protest outside Della Strada Parish along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City on Nov. 13, 2026.

The students opposed the US-led Pax Silica initiative and the anticipated visit of US President Donald Trump for the 49th ASEAN Summit, raising concerns over the implications of these developments for the Filipino people.

Amid preparations for the ASEAN gathering, Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos called on leaders to place the poor at the center of discussions on development. “The poor must have a seat at the negotiating table, not be pushed behind backdrops meant to conceal their suffering,” he said.

Invoking the Three Empty Chairs representing the Poor, Our Common Home, and the Next Generation, the bishop challenged leaders to consider whose interests are being served and whose voices are being excluded from decisions shaping the region’s future.

All photos by Jire Carreon