MANILA — Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla on Monday said protesters involved in Sunday’s violent clashes near Malacañang could face sedition charges, in addition to other criminal complaints.

In a press briefing in Malacañang, Remulla said police are preparing cases against the 216 individuals arrested in Mendiola, including 89 minors. He added that authorities are also looking into the organizers who allegedly instigated the violence.

“We will label them as terrorists. And as far as sedition, puwede namin i-charge sa kanila. We’ve proven it already,” Remulla said.

According to the DILG chief, 65 of the arrested minors were aged 15 to 17, while 24 were 14 years old and below. During questioning, he said, some of them admitted they intended to “burn” Malacañang Palace.

“Nandiyan iyong arson, nandiyan iyong grave physical injuries and we can go as far as sedition. Iyong statement lang nila na, ‘Gusto namin sunugin iyong Palasyo’ is a seditious act in itself,” Remulla noted.

He also reported that a program speaker at a separate rally in Liwasang Bonifacio urged participants to bring lighters for use in making molotov bombs before marching to Mendiola.

Remulla confirmed that authorities had prior intelligence about the threat but said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. still directed the police to observe maximum tolerance.

Despite the order, at least 95 Philippine National Police (PNP) officers were injured in the clashes, some of whom required medical treatment.

“The directive of the President was maximum tolerance. We knew they would attempt violence, but we still followed that instruction,” Remulla said.

While the Mendiola rally turned violent, Remulla noted that the rest of the nationwide anti-corruption demonstrations on September 21 were generally peaceful.