As the flood control scandal continues to erupt, several groups gathered at the EDSA Shrine on Thursday, September 11, to protest and denounce the ongoing ‘systemic political epidemic.’
Hundreds of individuals gathered at the location, led by groups such as the Akbayan Partylist, Tindig Pilipinas, and Youth Against Kurakot (YaK!), for a mass celebration and protest denouncing the anomalous flood control projects that “siphoned away people’s money meant for vital infrastructure.”
In a social media post, Akbayan Partylist said the corruption in the said projects is not an “isolated scam” but rather a “symptom of a larger, systemic political epidemic.”
“May nakakatakot na bagong epidemya ang umuusbong ngayon—ang sakit na Kleptospirosis. Imbes katawan, kaban ng bayan ang pinupuntirya,” Akbayan Partylist Rep. Perci Cendaña warned.
“Sa lala ng sakit ng korapsyon, kailangan ng agarang intervention. Bilang panimulang prophylactic, we need Congress to release the SALNs of all House members. Kasunod, ang agarang treatment sa pagtatag ng Independent Commission to investigate the corruption in infra projects. At panghuli, we need a strong vaccine para di na maulit ito—an Open Infra Law to make the infra projects in the country not only transparent but also at par with industry standards,” he added.
Meanwhile, Akbayan President Rafaela “Paeng” David likened corruption to a disease that spreads quickly if not contained.
“Gaya ng sakit, nakakahawa ang korapsyon. Kailangan mapurga na ang ating gobyerno sa panloloko at pandarambong ng mga katulad nilang kumurakot sa kaban ng bayan,” she said.
Meanwhile, David slammed the Discaya couple’s attempt to apply as state witnesses for the ongoing probe stating, “State witness? Mas bagay sa kanila ang tawaging state parasites. Beware of squid tactics by the Discayas and others who seek to muddle the truth. Exposing the truth is the first step towards accountability. Anything short of a tell-all is suspect and must be rejected.”
In a separate post, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) cautioned motorists about the ongoing protest in front of EDSA Shrine. Based on their data, there are around 200 or more rallyists as of 10:14 AM.
The MMDA enforcers and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on site are continuing to manage traffic.
