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| First to show mass outrage were students at UP Diliman (UP Facebook page) |
An estimated 30,000 people are expected to turn out for the “A Trillion Peso March” set for 2pm on Sunday, Sept. 21 at the Epifanio delos Santos (Edsa) People Power Monument in Quezon City, to vent their anger at widespread corruption in the country.
The crowd estimate came from the organizers Tindig
Pilipinas, a coalition formed by church
leaders angered by recent disclosures of anomalous flood-control projects for
which the government spent P1.9 trillion over the past 15 years.
Another big crowd of protesters which include
militant groups, students, drivers and church people, are due to gather at 9am on
the same day at the Luneta Park in Manila for the "Baha sa Luneta" rally.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
The protest actions are being held on the 53rd
anniversary of the declaration of martial law in the country by then President
Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., who was toppled by the People Power movement that began
on Edsa in 1986.
Ironically, Sunday’s anti-corruption protests were triggered
by disclosures made by Marcos Sr’s namesake and current president, Ferdinand Marcos,
Jr., in his State of the Nation Address in June about the siphoning of billions
of pesos in public funds for flood-control projects, a big number of which
turned out to be “ghost projects” or were not built at all.
Marcos, Jr. said in recent interviews that he shared
the sentiments of the people, and would be out in the streets himself “if he
were not president.” He encouraged people to demand accountability but urged
them to maintain peaceful protests.
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| Ateneo posted this call to protest on its FB page |
Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Kiko Aquino-Dee said in
a TV interview that the group has coordinated with the police and other government
agencies to ensure that the protest will be peaceful and meaningful, especially
to participants who are first-time rallyists.
“We’re really taking seriously the idea that it will
be the first time that a lot of people will engage in protest this Sunday and
we want to make sure that while it’s a venue to express anger, it’s also a
place to do it peacefully, safely and it’s a meaningful experience for everyone
who will be attending,” he said.
Aquino-Dee also said the protests will be
non-partisan in that anyone could speak out against any politician or individual
alleged to be involved in the massive corruption, but they should not openly
endorse any political leader or group.
He also said that since politicians
appear to have been behind the funding of the anomalous projects no politicians
will be allowed to speak. Instead, ordinary people affected by the corruption,
including flood victims, will take to the stage.
The Luneta protest organized
by Taumbayan Ayaw sa Magnanakaw at Abusado Network Alliance (Tama Na) will
start at 9am, but participants will gather earlier in various parts of Metro Manila
before marching to the park.
Among those taking
part is Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), whose members will gather at three
different places at 6am before heading to Luneta Park. One meeting place is the
Baclaran church in Paranaque City, another at Mall of Asia in Pasay City, and .the
third at Quezon City Hall.
Bayan chairperson
Teddy Casino said they were also expecting bikers’ and joggers’ groups to hold
their own protests at the park before joining the main event.
A group of jeepney drivers
said they will give free rides to those who will join the Luneta protest.
Separate protests were
staged earlier by students in different schools, particularly the University of
the Philippines in Diliman.
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| 7,000 students and faculty members joined today's protest at UP Los Banos (PhilStar photo) |
The latest to show indignation were thousands of students and faculty members in various schools who walked out of their classrooms today, Friday, and held protest actions. They not only expressed anger at the corruption, but also demanded a higher budget allocation for education.
These included those at Ateneo de Manila University and the UP units in Los Banos, Manila, Baguio, and Mindanao.
At Visayas State University, protesters staged a candlelight vigil to express outrage.
