MEMBERS of the Citizens Rage Against Corruption (CRAC) coalition staged a protest on Sunday, Sept. 21, to mark the 53rd anniversary of Martial Law.
About 500 individuals brought placards bearing messages condemning corruption and demanding accountability from officials involved in anomalies of the flood control projects.
“Ipriso na nang mga kurakot! Kawatan ug, mga palisod.Pahawaon sa ilang pwesto. Di, di jud, magpapildi. Ing-ana ming mga Pilipino!” the members shout in their chantings.
In 2017, the former president Rodrigo Duterte declared Sept. 2 as a National Day of Protest, in solidarity with the people’s call against “all excesses and shortcomings of the government, and with the people’s desire to uphold the highest standards of integrity, efficiency, and accountability in government.”
CRAC convenor Benjie Templado Jr. said corruption in the country has long been a problem in the country that affects every sector, especially in education.
“Kitang tanan gusto og accessible nga edukasyon nga di kinahanglang mangamang aron naay ika-padayon og eskwela, maong dakong butang para sa ato karon nga ibasura ang korapsyon sa gobyerno,” Templado said.
He stressed that the country falls short of the UNESCO recommendation that 4-6% of the country’s GDP should be allocated to the education sector.
Just recently, in September, the Department of Education announced it is the historic first for the country to meet the UNESCO benchmark for education spending by allocating 4.0% of its GDP to the education sector in its proposed 2026 national budget.
The P1.224 trillion budget, covering the Department of Education (DepEd), state universities, and other educational bodies, aims to fund critical areas like classroom construction, teacher hiring, and digital learning initiatives.
Meanwhile, Fe Salino, one of the members from Samahan ng Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at para sa Amnestiya Davao, called for to release of all political prisoners, recalling the traumatic detainment of activists during the administration of Marcos Sr.
“Atong panawagan, iuli ninyo ang inyong gikawat ug dili nato hikalimtan kung unsa ka hipokrito ang Marcos family, labi na si Imee karon, bout hunahunaon tanan sila konektado sa korapsyon,” Salino said.
“Never again, Never forget, Never Again to Martial Law,” she added.
Gabriela Women’s third nominee Dr. Jean Lindo expressed that the sector of women and children is the most vulnerable when it comes to disasters and calamities.
“Tanan kita nag-uban makigbatok sa korapsyon ug sa bulok nga sistema busa kinahanglan atong pakusgon ang Citizens Rage Against Corruption,” Lindo said.
CRAC collectively called on that every peso stolen must be accounted for, and every guilty party, no matter how powerful, must face justice.
“We rage that our taxes enrich corrupt officials and contractors instead of funding health, education, housing, and disaster response. We reject a government that treats governance as a business – where profit is placed above service, and the people’s needs are pushed aside and neglected.”
In the latter part of the event, protesters throw mud at a tarpaulin bearing the faces of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Congressman Zaldy Co, Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, along with government contractors Curlee Discaya and wife, Sarah.
The event ended at around 6 pm with a community singing the song “Di nyo ba naririnig?” Filipino version of “Do you hear the people sing?” from the musical Les Miserables.
