Makabayan bloc: Luneta rally against corruption, not Marcos resign call

The September 21 rally in Luneta Park is a broad coalition protest against corruption in flood control and other government projects and not a call for President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to resign, Makabayan bloc lawmakers said Thursday.

House Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers party-list, House Assistant Minority Leader Renee Co of Kabataan party-list and Gabriela party-list Representative Sarah Elago emphasized their position on the matter ahead of the mass protest on Sunday amid reports that supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte are also planning to join the rally to call for Marcos' resignation.

"Ang point natin sa Luneta, hina-highlight natin 'yung corruption na pinag-uusapan natin ngayon, iyong responsibilidad ni Pangulong Marcos sa corruption... Hindi siya maaaring patakasin rito. At the same time, ay malinaw rin naman ang paniningil kay Duterte, sa nakaarang administrasyon at sa mga opisyal na nakaupo pa ngayon," Tinio said in a press conference, referring to former President Rodrigo Duterte.

(Our point in Luneta is we are highlighting the corruption issues and the responsibility of the President... At the same time, it is clear that we are demanding accountability from Duterte, his administration, and incumbent officials.)

"We recognize that the flood control ay unang lumobo, talagang lumobo sa panahon ng Duterte administration. At tampok nga kahit sa Davao mismo, paulit-ulit yung P51 billion na hindi pa talaga nasisiyasat, bagaman kitang-kita naman na tuwing uulan na matindi ang baha sa Davao City. Kasama iyong pagpapanagot sa mga Duterte," Tinio added.

(We recognize that the number of flood control projects swelled during the Duterte administration. Davao City even got P51 billion but as we can see, Davao City remains flood-prone whenever it rains. So the Dutertes should be held accountable.)

A blind eye?

The House deputy minority leader distanced participants of the upcoming rally from marchers supportive of Duterte.

"Welcome ang lahat sa rally sa Luneta, pero kung DDS (Duterte Diehard Supporter) ka, ibig sabihin nu'n, bulag ka o hindi ka nagsasalita sa corruption ng mga Duterte. Kahit sabihing anti-Marcos sila pero kung pro-Duterte naman at pinagtatakpan ang corruption ng mga Duterte, hindi rin katanggap-tanggap," Tinio added.

(Everybody is welcome in Luneta, but if you are a DDS, that means you have turned a blind eye or chose to stay quiet on the corruption of the Dutertes. So if they say that they are anti-Marcos, but pro-Duterte and covers up the corruption of the Dutertes, this is unacceptable as well.)

Clarifying the message

Tinio then said the September 21 protest is a rally against the Marcos administration's policies that allow corruption to thrive because Marcos' liability, at this point, concerns his ultimate supervisory powers as President. 

"Wala po tayong ganoong panawagan [for Marcos] to resign kasi para magkaroon ng gan'un, we need direct, material evidence of actual corruption [by the President]. Ang sinasabi pa lang natin, nasa level ng command responsibility," Tinio said.

(We are not calling for the President to resign because if that were to happen, we need direct, material evidence of actual corrupt acts that he committed. What we are saying is that he has a level of command responsibility.)

In a press conference on September 15, Marcos said that if he wasn't President, he might be on the streets with protesters expressing rage over flood control project anomalies.

He emphasized that it has been his aspiration to solve the issue as he was the one who "brought it up."

Not 'Bring Him Home' call either

Co and Elago, for their part, said the upcoming protest is a call for transparency and accountability in government projects, and not to send a message to bring Duterte home from his detention at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.

"This Luneta event is a call for protest against corruption. Hindi nito bitbit 'yung call na Bring Him Home (It won't carry the call to Bring Him Home). I am sure people from their ranks will be able to go to Luneta, and I appeal to them to listen to the speakers, listen to how corruption got worse under the time of Marcos and Duterte," Co said.

Elago backed Co, saying legitimate opposition to corruption should not be silenced.

"The Luneta rally is not a pro-Marcos or pro-Duterte rally, but it's a pro-people, anti-corruption rally. That is why everyone is welcome to join and we should not allow fear mongering to thwart the people's desire to protest corruption," Elago said.

Challenge to DBM, DPWH

During the same press conference, Tinio dared the Department of Budget and Management  (DBM) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to name the proponents of flood control and other government projects funded under the national budget to set clear lines on accountability should these projects turn out to be non-existent or substandard.

"What I do know is, meron naman silang sistema ng tagging. Alam naman nila kung sino ang proponent ng mga projects na ito. DPWH, DBM, alam nila 'yan. 'Di lang nila nilalabas," Tinio said.

(What I do know is that they have a tagging system. The DPWH and DBM know who the project proponents are, they're just not revealing them.)

Tinio's position echoed that of Marikina Representative Miro Quimbo, who earlier called out the DPWH for failing to speak up that the P289 billion worth of insertions under the DPWH budget for 2025 did not emanate from the House of Representatives, but are budget amendments made during the Bicameral Conference Committee. 

Likewise, Quimbo said the DPWH should ensure the proponents of infrastructure projects are named in the national budget.

"We need to isolate where the leaks are and who is responsible. Dapat isapubliko 'yan. Kasi masyado ng maraming tinatamaan na hindi dapat tinatamaan," Quimbo said during the House appropriations panel hearing on DPWH's proposed P625.7-billion budget for 2026.

(That should be made public. Because too many people are taking the heat, when they should not be subjected to one.)

— VDV, GMA Integrated News