At least nine activists have been killed following simultaneous police raids in the northern Philippines on March 7, 2021, in what has been defined a "Bloody Sunday" by rights groups. The raids were carried out after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered government forces to “kill” and “finish off” all alleged communist rebels in the country. Six people were also arrested during the raids in three provinces surrounding Metro Manila, while at least six others “escaped”. Labor leader Esteban “Steve” Mendoza, Vice-President of the trade union Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU - May First Movement), was arrested in his house in Cabuyao town in Laguna around 3:15 a.m, reportedly on trumped-up charges. The subject of the arrest warrant was one hand grenade supposedly being kept by the suspect inside his house in Barangay village Mamatid. It is reported that the weapons have been planted by police officers.