CIVIL, PROGRESSIVE GROUPS SET TO RALLY AGAINST FLOOD CONTROL ANOMALIES
September 20, 2025
Michael Andrei Rivera
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PHOTO | CBC News
MANILA, Philippines—Civil and progressive groups are set to stage demonstrations at Luneta and the People Power Monument on Sunday, September 21, to denounce large-scale corruption in flood control projects.
Organized by a coalition of sociopolitical, progressive, and religious organizations, the protests aim to call out massive irregularities in flood control projects, in which nearly half of its ₱1.9 trillion allocated budget over the last 15 years was allegedly lost to corruption.
The Luneta protest, dubbed “Baha sa Luneta: Aksyon Laban sa Korapsyon,” is expected to start at 9 in the morning. Meanwhile, the People Power Monument demonstration, also known as the “Trillion Peso March,” is scheduled at 2 in the afternoon.
Tindig Pilipinas, one of the organizers of the upcoming “Trillion Peso March,” estimated that around 30,000 individuals would join the demonstration in EDSA.
Its co-convenor, Kiko Aquino-Dee, said that the event will highlight the plight of individuals directly affected by anomalies in flood control.
“We really want to highlight the narratives of people who we don’t really hear from, particularly people who were victimized by the recent corruption scandals and the flood control issue. These are the people whose houses have been damaged by floods, people who had to wade through floods and maybe contract disease just to get to work, and people from different sectors who are slightly less direct victims of corruption but in need of social services that get diverted to anomalous projects,” he said.
Meanwhile, Interior Sec. Jonvic Remulla announced that the Philippine National Police (PNP) will deploy approximately 50,335 police officers.
“The PNP will make sure there is no trouble. The PNP will not suppress them. The PNP will not stop them in any way, and we will make sure it is just a peaceful rally,” Interior Sec. Remulla stated.
These upcoming mobilizations are allusions to the Million People March over a decade ago, when the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) by congressmen under the administration of the late president Benigno Aquino III sparked public outrage.
The said protests will also coincide with the upcoming 53rd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law on September 23.
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