Photo from Kilusang Mayo Uno
Various groups and political forces will unite in Edsa not just to commemorate the 1986 People Power anniversary but to condemn the continuing and worsening corruption in the country.
The protest will highlight that a scion of the most corrupt dynasty in the country is the incumbent president who was able to return to power through his family’s ill-gotten wealth. Under the presidency of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, pork barrel projects were expanded to reward allies and entrench political patronage. Marcos has at least 4.5 billion pesos at his disposal by tapping the controversial confidential and intelligence funds.
The protest will call out Marcos for signing a budget law designed to enable and normalize vote buying and patronage. Bayan and its allied organizations are calling for the removal of all forms of pork barrel in the bureaucracy.
The persistent use and revival of pork barrel points to the failure to abolish corruption and rent-seeking in the political system. The culture of impunity has to be countered by punishing corrupt officials.
Thus, the impeachment and conviction of Vice President Sara Duterte will send a strong and clear message that the people are determined to fight corruption.
The protest will reflect this demand and clamor as the Senate and Marcos continue to dilly-dally on the issue of impeaching Duterte.
The failure of Marcos to recognize the outrage against corruption will only embolden more people to speak out and mobilize against the refusal to exact accountability against erring officials like Duterte.
Bayan warns that the inaction of Marcos will only confirm that he is not interested to pursue justice and accountability but merely to weaken a political rival.
Bayan said that the people’s clamor for good governance will continue to gather momentum beyond the People Power anniversary for the fight against corruption in government is aimed against the bureaucrat capitalist system that underlies it. In the immediate, it is aimed at exposing and opposing the warring Marcos and Duterte dynasties as two sides of the same rotten system. #
