Makabayan: People’s anger, disgust towards corruption reasonable ~ HUMAN RIGHTS PROMOTIONS

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Makabayan: People’s anger, disgust towards corruption reasonable

MANILA, Philippines — The outburst of the people regarding corruption schemes in flood control projects being brought to light is reasonable, lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc said as numerous groups staged protests in different parts of Metro Manila.

In a statement on Friday, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio and Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Co said this in response to Malacañang’s appeal for calm, after protesters stormed the gates of a construction firm owned by the Discayas, the family accused of acquiring contracts for flood control projects that were discovered to be non-existent or faulty.

Several members of progressive groups plastered the Discaya compound’s gates with the words “magnanakaw” (thief) and “ikulong” (imprison), while throwing mud.

“We, the Makabayan Bloc in the House of Representatives, stand firmly with the Filipino people in expressing their justified outrage against the rampant corruption plaguing our nation. The recent protest actions, including those at the Discaya compound in Pasig, are legitimate expressions of the people’s anger against those who continue to plunder the nation’s resources,” Makabayan said.

“We understand the people’s frustration. Public funds allocated for essential services, such as education, healthcare, and employment, are being diverted to ghost projects funded by pork barrel schemes and squandered on the luxuries of corrupt officials, contractors, and their families. In the midst of all this systematic plunder, how can any administration expect the people to remain silent?” they added.

Co and Tinio said it will be the height of irony if protesters are charged first over government officials and contractors allegedly involved in the flood control mess.

“We support the people’s right to protest and express public outrage as well as its various expressions because they are justified and necessary,” Co said.

“It would be the most bitter irony indeed if protesters will be the first to be charged even before any charges are filed against any contractor or public official,” he added.

Furthermore, Tinio said it is also questionable how President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. even has the gall to ask for calm as while the country suffers, people are being made aware that certain groups have benefitted from flood control projects.

“How can President Marcos Jr. tell the people to stay calm while the country suffers? While prices of basic goods continue to rise, poverty expands, and the people’s money ends up in the pockets of the corrupt?” Tinio said.

“This call for calm is fundamentally wrong. Instead of remaining calm, every Filipino should be vigilant, watchful, and active. We must not be deaf and blind to the truth. We must not stay silent while our future continues to be stolen,” he added.

Co, on the other hand, called on the government to acknowledge that anger is a rightful response to what has been discovered recently regarding infrastructure projects.

“We call on our fellow legislators and all Filipinos to recognize that the people’s anger is not misplaced — it is a natural response to decades of corruption and neglect. When public officials betray the trust placed in them, when they treat the national treasury as their personal bank account, the people have every right to express their indignation,” she said.

“A true leader does not silence the grievances of the people. A true leader listens and acts to end corruption. The administration’s call for calm is a grave insult to every suffering Filipino and a clear attempt to cover up corruption and the rot of bureaucrat capitalism,” Tinio added.

Makabayan’s statement came as Malacañang appealed for calm, noting that the government does not want Indonesia-style unrest to erupt in the Philippines amid ongoing investigations of flood control projects.

At a briefing, Palace press officer Claire Castro was asked to comment on concerns that protests in the Philippines might escalate as they did in Indonesia, where authorities reported fatalities, injuries, and looting.

“The President would not want such a thing to happen. As he himself said, we are following due process,” Castro noted.

Earlier, while the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways was being discussed at the House of Representatives, protesters from Kabataan, Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Bayan Muna, and other progressive organizations staged a protest outside the Batasang Pambansa, asking that people responsible for the flood control mess be held accountable.

During the rally, protesters also threw different objects at the Batasang Pambansa’s south gate, while police officers covered the chamber through anti-riot shields.

“The Makabayan Bloc will continue to amplify the people’s voice in Congress and work tirelessly to expose corruption, demand accountability, and fight for genuine reforms that serve the interests of the masses, not the corrupt elite,” Tinio said.

“The people’s anger is justified. Their voices must be heard. Their demands for accountability must be addressed,” he added.

Investigations into anomalous flood control projects followed Marcos’ strongly-worded speech during his fourth State of the Nation Address, in which he condemned government officials and firms that allegedly earned kickbacks at the expense of people suffering from heavy flooding.

Marcos said these officials and contractors should be ashamed of themselves.

Eventually, the President released a list of contractors, and observers were quick to establish links between contractors and lawmakers, as well as other politicians, such as Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, Senate President Francis Escudero, and former Pasig City mayoral candidate Sarah Discaya.

Co has not released a statement, while Escudero claimed that such insinuations are only a “demolition job” against him. Discaya meanwhile, at the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on Monday, denied the presence of ghost projects. /das