The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) renewed its call for a “people’s democratic government” to replace what it described as the “reign of thieves,” following fresh allegations of corruption involving top officials of the Marcos administration.
CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena said revelations by former Ako Bicol representative Elizaldo Co confirm long-standing suspicions of large-scale plunder in government.
Co alleged that billions of pesos in kickbacks were delivered to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez in 2023, and that Marcos himself ordered the insertion of ₱100 billion into the national budget.
Malacañang has denied the accusations, saying the president did not need to order such insertions since they could have been included in earlier budget proposals.
Valbuena described Co as a “lower rung bureaucrat capitalist” who could not have carried out his alleged plunder without authorization from Malacañang, under both the Duterte and Marcos administrations.
He added that the disclosures have “further roused the Filipino people already outraged by massive corruption involving top officials of the Marcos government.”
The CPP said attempts by the administration and its allies to downplay the revelations are unlikely to appease public anger.
Large anti-corruption rallies were held nationwide on September 21, with another set for November 30.
Meanwhile, groups allied with former president Rodrigo Duterte, ncluding Iglesia ni Cristo, Jesus is Lord, and Kingdom of Jesus Christ, are staging a separate three-day rally to “expose the deeds of evil.”
Duterte’s political allies, including Vice President Sara Duterte and Rep. Paolo Duterte, also face allegations of misspending public funds.
The former president remains detained in the Netherlands, awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
The CPP said the Filipino people demand accountability and punishment for all corrupt officials. “Calls for the ouster of Marcos, Sara Duterte and the entire corrupt government are set to reverberate in protest actions across the country,” Valbuena said, adding that only the overthrow of imperialism, feudalism and bureaucratic capitalism can end the reign of thieves. (RRN)
