DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 1 Oct) — Students and faculty of Brokenshire College Inc., a Davao City-based medical school, held a “Black Tuesday Protest” to demand justice and accountability from corrupt public officials as corruption “robs the sick, the elderly, and the most disadvantaged of the care they deserve.”
Protesters gathered at the Noreen Ground inside campus around 4 p.m., chanting “Jail the corrupt!” and “Never again to tyranny!” before marching to the campus gate, where they lighted candles.
Bishop Hamuel G. Tequis, president of Brokenshire College Inc., stated in a message delivered by college chaplain Rev. Grace Alquiza-Bangisan that the systemic government corruption is not merely a breach of policy, but a “direct assault on justice, leadership, and service.”
He said the plunder of public funds deprives the Filipino people of vital resources for life-saving health services.
“Our faith obligates us to demand justice, stewardship, and compassion in the allocation of every peso meant for health,” he said.
While political parties and administrations may change, Tequis lamented that the same selfish interests persist, as some politicians continue to undermine public trust.
He emphasized that the persistent betrayal of public trust necessitates comprehensive justice and profound social transformation to break the cycle of corruption.
He said that churches, schools, and civil society organizations across every sector have pledged to pursue transparency and good governance, as they condemn the “modern robbers” who cloak themselves in the “robes of senators, congressional attire, and bureaucratic titles.”
“Time and again, we witness the corrosive rot of graft: shoddy infrastructure, botched flood-control projects, misdirected social aid, inflated procurements, and the obscene hoarding of unliquidated confidential funds,” he said.
The bishop noted that the recent corruption allegations linking lawmakers and government contractors to anomalous flood control projects are not merely “isolated slip-ups” but are “symptoms of a deep-seated, systemic crisis that erodes the very foundation of governmental integrity.”
“When the poor and marginalized are denied what is rightfully theirs, and when silence becomes complicity for those entrusted with power, the gospel compels us to confront this evil head-on,” he said.
Tequis cited Proverbs 29:4, stating, “A king gives stability by justice, but one who demands bribes destroys it,” to underline the impact of corruption in the country.
The religious leader also emphasized the importance of restoring justice as the original foundation of the government, echoing Proverbs 16:12: “It is an abomination for kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness.”
He said the massive protests across the country last September 21 demonstrated the nation’s refusal to accept corruption any longer.
“Their voices echo the biblical scene when Jesus entered the temple, overturned the money changers’ tables, and declared, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers’,” he said.
Rojan Sydrick Ditucalan, senior writer of the school’s student publication The Lamp, said that students and faculty, clad in black shirts, joined the protest to demand justice for the worsening government corruption in the country, affecting the future of the youth.
A candle lighting ceremony was also held outside the main campus’ gate in Madapo.
“Our weapon is our voice, our unity, and our freedom of expression. These are our weapons in defending the truth and holding accountable those who abuse power. The campus press is the voice of the students, and the voice of the students is the voice of the people. But what are we facing? Red-tagging, harassment, censorship, silencing, intimidation, and oppression of our publications,” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
