PROTESTERS led by the Stand in Opposition to Plunder (Stop) Corruption Alliance gathered at Freedom Park along Roxas Avenue on September 21 to mark the 54th anniversary of Martial Law and demand government accountability over corruption allegations.
The rally brought together church leaders, youth organizations, and human rights advocates to condemn alleged systemic graft, unaddressed plunder, and economic distress affecting ordinary citizens.
Demonstrators highlighted national budget controversies, citing alliance estimates of ₱986.5 billion approved for flood-control projects between 2023 and 2025, with up to ₱197 billion potentially lost to corruption annually.
The alliance also flagged ₱650 million in confidential funds allocated to Vice President Sara Duterte in 2022–2023, pointing to audit discrepancies involving 1,685 unverified payees, alongside ₱6.8 billion in covered transactions linked to Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, from 2006 to 2025.
Martial Law survivor Fe Salino, spokesperson for Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Aresto at Detensyon-Southern Mindanao Region (Selda-SMR), criticized the Supreme Court's September 9 acquittal of former First Lady Imelda Marcos, calling it a blow to justice for victims.
"Unsay Golden Years, para kang kinsa? Para kanamo nga mga nakasinati mismo sa pagdakop, pagkabilanggo, ug pag-torture insulto kini sa mga biktima ug sa mga pamilya nga hangtod karon nangita ug hustisya," Salino said. (What Golden Years, and for whom? For those of us who personally experienced arrest, imprisonment, and torture, it is an insult to the victims and to the families who are still searching for justice until now.)
Salino also called out rising commodity prices, tuition rates, and transport fares, urging youth to continue organizing despite economic pressures.
"Among panawagan sa ilaha, padayon mong mag-organisa bisan asa man, sa eskwelahan ba o sa komunidad. Dili mo angay mahadlok kay ang accountability sa gobyerno... nadamay ta sa ilang pagkakurakot," Salino added. (Our call to them is to continue organizing wherever you are, whether in schools or in the community. You should not be afraid because accountability in government... we are all affected by their corruption.)
While noting the detention of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez over a ₱7.4-billion flood-control plunder case, alliance convener Elmer Jon Mupas stressed that prosecution must extend to all high-ranking officials.
The group estimates up to six senators, 230 representatives, 1,480 DPWH officials, and 900 contractors remain implicated in flood-control schemes.
"Putting a few officials behind bars is not enough. Everyone involved—lawmakers, contractors, government officials, the Vice President, and the President himself—must be investigated and held accountable," Mupas said. GRS
