Metro Manila students hold walkout vs. corruption

Students from several universities and colleges in Metro Manila staged a walkout and went to Mendiola for a protest action against corruption in the government on Friday, October 17.

Students and faculty members of the University of the Philippines Diliman first converged at Quezon Hall before marching towards Manila. 

Students from the University of Santo Tomas as well as from other universities in the “U-Belt area” such as the Far Eastern University and the University of the East also joined the walkout. 

De La Salle University students joined other students from nearby schools on Taft Avenue, Manila. 

Students from Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, Adamson University, Technological University of the Philippines, and San Beda University also trooped to Mendiola. 

According to the report by Super Radyo dzBB's Luisito Santos, the intersection of Mendiola and Recto Avenue was temporarily closed due to the protest. 

The lane along Recto Avenue, from Quiapo to Mendiola, was also impassable because of protesters on the street. 

The Manila Police District have also deployed personnel at Mendiola Peace Arch to prevent protesters from marching towards Malacañang. 

The MPD also deployed "human rights officers" to ensure that human rights of the protesters will be upheld. 

The crowd estimate is currently at 1,000, the Manila Police added. 

'Roblox Rally'

Meanwhile, students from UP Open University (UPOU) expressed their outrage over corruption online.

"While students marched at Mendiola, Manila to denounce corruption and education budget cuts, the student movement also took to the digital streets, proving that distance does not silence dissent," the UPOU University Student Council said in a Facebook post on Friday.

"The Roblox Rally stands how UPOU students reclaim online spaces for activism, demanding accountability, quality education, and genuine democratic participation," it added. 

More than 150 UPOU students joined the online protest, it said.

Since the anomalies in the flood control projects in the country were put under the spotlight, protest actions have been held in parts of the country. The massive anti-corruption protest held so far regarding the issue happened on September 21.  —Vince Angelo Ferreras and Jiselle Anne Casucian/AOL/VBL, GMA Integrated News