30/09/2025
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ | ๐ช๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฝ ๐ชฬถ๐ตฬถ๐ฒฬถ๐ปฬถ ๐ฆฬถ๐ฒฬถ๐ฝฬถ๐ฬถ๐ฒฬถ๐บฬถ๐ฏฬถ๐ฒฬถ๐ฟฬถ ๐ฬถ๐ปฬถ๐ฑฬถ๐ฬถ
History repeats itself. History repeats itself until we finally bar it from doing so.
On September 21, 1972, the late President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law, extending his power far beyond constitutional limits and engraving a legacy of trauma, debt, and a broken democracy. Fifty-three years later, we witness mass demonstrations that echo the same cries: the defense of democratic rights and the demand for accountability.
This September, protests surged like no other. From Baha sa Luneta in Rizal Park to the Trillion Peso March at the People Power Monument, and across parallel rallies in different regions, institutions, political colors, and walks of life, Filipinos once again showed what unity in action truly meansโnot as a mere campaign slogan, but as lived struggle.
While the flood-control scandal served as the immediate spark, marchers used the platform to denounce corruption on a grander scale. Condemn was directed not only at DPWH contractors and legislators, but also at the entrenched political dynasties of both Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte. The frustration and anger are rooted in decades of squandered resources and a justice system that fails to hold the guilty accountable. Their message is clear: public trust has been dismantled time and again, and without real accountability, the nation will continue to bleed.
Many could have chosen silence, retreating into the comfort of their homes. After all, whoโwhen given choices and alternativesโwould willingly subject themselves to scorching heat or sudden downpours, straining their voices for hours on end? But at this point, there is no comfort in inaction. To see through the lens of Filipinos who should have benefited from programs designed to protect themโespecially the vulnerableโmakes silence impossible. To quote ML party-list Rep. Leila de Lima: โThis is the right process; a peaceful rally to express anger and demand action. Anything less than prosecuting and jailing the corrupt will not satisfy the people.โ
From here, the same calls for accountability must only grow louder and more concrete. Those behind ghost projects must not only be arrested but pursued to the full extent of the law, ensuring convictions that deter recurrent corruption. Ill-gotten wealthโluxury goods, vehicles, and propertiesโmust be recovered and redirected to programs for education, health, and disaster management.
Beyond short-term outrage, we must push for perennial and systemic reforms: reinforcement of the Freedom of Information Act, the long-overdue passage of an Anti-Dynasty Law, the strengthening of the Ombudsmanโs prosecutorial powers, and the mandatory real-time disclosure of officialsโ Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN). This is no longer about political colors or affiliations; anyone who deserves infamy must be made infamous. Until the very institutions that failed us are reshaped, our outcryโin the streets or onlineโmust continue. And as long as justice remains elusive, expect the crowd to balloon, their numbers swelling with every crime unpunished.
September may soon draw to a close. Yet rather than an endpoint, the marches of this month must be the starting point for fueled civic engagement. History reminds us that reforming the Philippine political system is an arduous struggle. Whether these demands materialize depends on our being fully awake and attuned to reality. We must remember, and retell, the pains of yesterday. Only then can we ensure that nightmares of the past will not recur โ and that the perpetrators, at last, will serve their time in the grave of their own notoriety.
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