REPRESENTED BY THOUSANDS of protesters composed of civil society organizations, political coalitions, religious groups, and labor unions, Filipinos took a stand against government corruption on the commemoration of the 53rd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law last September 21.
Two major events took place on the same day, with the “Baha sa Luneta: Aksyon Laban sa Korapsyon” event kicked off in the morning along Kalaw Avenue in Manila and culminating with the gathering at Rizal Park. The Rizal Park rally was then followed by the “Trillion Peso March” held at the EDSA Shrine at White Plains, Quezon City in the afternoon.
Baha sa Luneta: Aksyon Laban sa Korapsyon
The attendees gathered early in the morning at Kalaw Ave., with different progressive groups demanding government accountability for the anomalous ghost projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) alongside systemic government malpractice.
The protesters then marched along Roxas Boulevard, eventually gathering an estimated 80,000-people at Luneta for the main program.
Different advocacy groups and public officials took the stage to emphasize what has been deprived from the people and urged to strengthen the ongoing movement.
Alongside this, different performers displayed a spectacle to further energize the crowd, chanting the calls against corruption.
In an interview, Rep. Renee Co of the Kabataan Partylist, stated that the thousands of people in attendance depicts the growing outrage of the people.
“…Inuuna instead ‘yung pagtataba ng bulsa ng iilan, and so nandito tayong lahat dahil galit tayo sa kurakot, galit tayo sa sistemang ito,” she expressed.
With the money supposedly allocated for the holistic development of the Filipino people, Co testified where these funds should have been allocated.
“It should have went to education. It should have went to health. It should have went to housing,” calling out the administration for being only able to build only 24 housing units instead of the supposed thousands it had targeted.
In the wake of the “Baha sa Luneta” rally, Co pushed for the anger of the people to persist in the coming weeks and months.
“Kailangan natin i-ensure na ‘yung galit natin ngayon hindi lang panandalian. Huwag natin ibaon sa limot. Kailangan payabungin at syempre magamit para maorganisa ang mas marami,” she said.
With this, Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, Chairperson of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), encouraged the youth to always take part in these movements.
“Ang kabataan ang lider sa hinaharap, binhi ng kinabukasan at pag-asa,” he expressed.
Trillion Peso March
The same calls for accountability were echoed at the EDSA Shrine for the “Trillion Peso March” with church groups, party-list organizations such as the Akbayan Party, labor coalitions, and youth groups in attendance.
By afternoon, the crowds had swelled, voicing anger over what they described as “government failure” and the “mismanagement of public funds.” In the following hours, tensions flared when pro-Duterte groups arrived at the protest site, as they had been staging their own gathering at the nearby Gate 4 of Camp Aguinaldo.
A line of Philippine National Police (PNP) officers initially formed near Robinsons Galleria to de-escalate the tensions. But as the rally dragged on, the pro-Duterte groups moved with the protesters, sparking heated altercations between the groups.
The pro-Duterte group, demanding for the resignation of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, was met with counter chants asking Vice President Sara Duterte to resign as well.
Despite this, the celebrities who joined the rally amplified the people’s call for accountability, with comedian Vice Ganda denouncing corruption in a fiery speech, joined by Jodi Sta. Maria, Angel Aquino, Elijah Canlas, and others who stood with the demonstrators.
“Ang corrupt na politiko ay higit pa sa mamamatay-tao, ang corrupt na politician ay higit pa sa magnanakaw, ang corrupt na politician ay higit pa sa terorismo,” said Vice Ganda.
Akbayan Representative Chel Diokno, speaking to The Bedan, pointed to the turnout as proof of the mounting frustration of the Filipino people.
“Ang daming dumating, ang daming galit,” he said, stressing that the demonstrations must continue. “Tuloy-tuloy lang dapat ’yan hangga’t dumating tayo sa puntong wala nang magagawa ang pamahalaan kundi magkaroon ng pananagutan.”
As groups from the Luneta rally were marching towards Mendiola, unaffiliated protesters, who were also coming to the same place, were barricaded by a truck as they reached Ayala Bridge.
Tensions soon erupted between the police forces and the unaffiliated groups, with objects being hurled at truck and its tires were torched. The police retaliated by firing water cannons and tear gas at the rallyists. The exchanged furthered with gas canisters and usage of water cannons against the demonstrators, which notably are not among the registered organizers of the program.
This resulted to a night-long riot along the roads of Mendiola, Ayala Bridge, and Recto Avenue. The incident accumulated the arrests of over 200 individuals, including 92 minors.
(with Aliyah Buene D. Aya-ay)