DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 21 September) – Only by changing the system can corruption in the country be stopped, leaders of the anti-corruption protest at Freedom Park here on Sunday said, while demanding at the same time full accountability of public officials implicated in the controversial flood control projects that triggered rallies nationwide on the 53rd anniversary of martial law.
During the “Dabawenyos’ Protest Against Corruption and Accountability” at Freedom Park on Roxas Avenue on Sunday, former Bayan Muna representative Karlos Isagani Zarate said corruption in the country is systemic and has already permeated all institutions of government.
He said corruption persists as a major issue in the country due to the continued existence of a system that perpetuates the oppression of the Filipino people.
“The solution to corruption, the solution to bureaucrat capitalism, the solution to fascism, and the solution to the continued violation of human rights is change—overturning and discarding the rotten system. Our call is to build a new system here in our country,” he said in Cebuano.
He lamented that those in power have turned government service into a business while siphoning off public funds to enrich themselves.
Around 300 protesters, composed of students, workers, and professionals, joined the protest held from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in commemoration of the 53rd anniversary of the martial law declaration by President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
It was organized by the Citizens Rage Against Corruption or CRAC, a coalition of organizations, individuals, and members of civil society in the city.
Proclamation No. 319, issued by former President Rodrigo Duterte, declares September 21 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.”
It states that the Martial Law era “has imprinted itself in the collective memory of the people as a time attended by the commission of gross human rights violations, arbitrary state interventions, rampant corruption, and disregard of fundamental civil liberties.”
Mags Maglana, convenor of Konsensya Dabaw, stated that systemic government corruption and human rights violations have persisted since the time of Marcos Sr., father of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“The problem of corruption isn’t just happening now, it has existed since the time of Martial Law and continues to this day, because the real problem is the system itself,” she said.
She said Marcos Sr. and his cronies exploited their positions to steal from government coffers.
Maglana reminded Dabawenyos that then-President Duterte also placed Mindanao under martial law for more than two years.
On May 23, 2017, Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao through Proclamation No. 216, following the siege of Marawi City by ISIS-inspired militants. The declaration remained in effect until December 31, 2019.
Fe Salino, spokesperson for Samahan ng Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at para sa Amnestiya Davao, recalled the human rights abuses during the administration of Marcos Sr. and urged his family to return what they have stolen from the government.
“It’s not easy to lose a husband, sibling, parent, or the masses we dearly love,” she said.
In a statement, the CRAC said that it stood “shoulder to shoulder with the Filipino people today in raising our fiercest condemnation of the systemic corruption that plagues our nation. We demand full accountability from all who are guilty.”
“Weeks of exposés have laid everything bare – kickbacks, ghost projects, mountains of cash, and scandal after scandal in flood control schemes. We see how the corrupt and their kind squander the people’s money on luxury and excesses. Truly, corruption has never been this brazen,” it said.
It said that the “relentless cycle of plunder and the entrenched culture of impunity are nothing less than a grave betrayal of the people’s trust.”
“Our collective call is clear and uncompromising: every peso stolen must be accounted for, every guilty party – no matter how powerful – must face justice. No one should be spared,” it reads.
The group expressed their frustration that corrupt politicians are not being held accountable.
“Worse, history reminds us that countless investigations into massive corruption, supposedly in aid of legislation, have ended with the culprits walking free, some even clawing their way back to power. We are sick of these cheap political theatrics that toy with our future. We reject the charades that insult our intelligence and trample on our dignity as people,” it added.
At the nearby Rizal Park, thousands of Dabawenyos lined up as early as 12 noon for the distribution of 100 free lechon baka, or roasted beef, during a prayer rally dubbed “Pray for the Philippines,” organized by Duterte supporters.
Temporary road closures were implemented from the corner of C.M. Recto to San Pedro Street, the corner of Bolton to Rizal Street, and the corner of Rizal Street to Ponciano Street, where the rally was to take place.
Capt. Hazel Caballero Tuazon, Davao City Police Office spokesperson, said the crowd was estimated at 10,000 as of 7:00 p.m. A total of 1,380 personnel were deployed to secure the venue, she said.
The pro-Duterte rally called for the return of the country’s former leader after six months of detention at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
