GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 20 September) – Chanting “estudyante ng bayan, ngayon ay lumalaban,” hundreds of students from Mindanao State University (MSU)–General Santos walked out of their classes on Friday, September 20, in what organizers described as the campus’ first-ever protest rally against corruption.
The walkout formed part of “White Friday,” a larger mobilization across General Santos where students from at least a dozen schools – including Notre Dame of Dadiangas University (NDDU), Holy Trinity College (HTC), Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges (RMMC) – held simultaneous actions. Faculty and staff wore white tops in solidarity.
Wearing white shirts and carrying placards, the students gathered at the MSU campus grounds at 3 p.m. to denounce alleged misuse of public funds in unfinished infrastructure projects, including the ₱681-million Mabuhay Underpass.
“2022 pa ang groundbreaking, hanggang ngayon swimming pool pa rin” (The groundbreaking was in 2022 but until now, it’s still a swimming pool), said MSU Supreme Student Council president Ramzel Delloro, drawing cheers from the crowd.
He questioned where the public funds had gone, suggesting they may have been pocketed by officials, spent on luxuries, or lost to contractors and congressional insertions.
The underpass, implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and built by Vicente T. Lao Construction Corporation, broke ground in June 2022.
It was originally targeted for completion by September 2024, but the deadline has since been pushed back to December 2025. DPWH earlier cited technical issues, including water seepage, unstable soil conditions, and the relocation of utilities, as reasons for the delay.
“Tama na, sobra na. Wakas na ang kabulastugang ito na ginagawang normal. Nothing in any of these atrocities is normal. Dapat may managot” (This is too much. End this foolishness that is being normalized. Nothing in any of these atrocities is normal. Someone must be held accountable), Delloro declared.
The sense of duty was echoed by younger students who joined the walkout.
John Paul Siapel, a second-year education major, said they felt compelled to speak out not just as individuals but as “iskolar ng bayan” (people’s scholars), as MSU is state-funded.
“The issues facing the Philippines today are alarming. We can no longer stay blind–we must be aware, we must be brave, and we must take a stand against corruption,” he told MindaNews.
He added that it is the responsibility of young people to call out officials who misuse public funds, especially when the university itself faces a shortage of resources.
“Money that should go to education and other deserving projects is being diverted elsewhere. Those responsible must be held accountable,” he said.
University administrators also attended the protest, including University Chancellor Atty. Shidik Zed T. Abantas and Dr. Norman Ralph Isla, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Services.
In an interview with MindaNews, Isla expressed support for the students, saying such actions are not disruptive but a sign of civic engagement.
“Malaki itong hakbang para sa mga estudyante, not just only for political awakening, but pagiging tao. Kung mahal mo ang bayan mo, itatama mo, iku-call out mo kung ano yung mali” (This is a significant step for students – not only in political awareness but in developing a sense of responsibility as humans. If you love your country, you’ll point out what’s wrong and seek to correct it), he said.
Beyond campuses, civil society groups, church leaders, and business organizations also joined the citywide protest, echoing similar demonstrations elsewhere in the country denouncing alleged corruption in DPWH infrastructure projects.
In Davao City, also on Friday, around 600 students, faculty and staff of the University of the Philippines-Mindanao joined the university-wide walkout against corruption and budget cuts in education and also in commemoration of the 53rd anniversary of the declaration of martial law, the campus paper, Himati, reported.
UP Mindanao Chancellor Lyre Anni Murao joined the university-wide walkout in solidarity with the protest’s call to end corruption and oppose budget cuts in education.
Murao said corruption steals not only public funds but also the people’s future. She urged the student body to continue mobilizing and pressing for genuine social change.
Himati quoted Murao as saying “kaya mga estudyante, kayo ang pag-asa ng bayan. Kumilos tayo at maging bahagi ng solusyon” (You students, you are the hope of the country. Let us act and be part of the solution). (Guia Rebollido / MindaNews)
