A tale of two rallies both poised vs. flood control projects corruption

“Divine intervention,” as Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson told reporters the past week, exposed the massive corruption in flood control projects.

A concerted human action seeks to exact accountability from the individuals involved.

On September 21, 2025, Sunday, thousands of people are expected to join mass protests amid the swell of frustration and anger on the alleged corruption in government-funded flood control projects.

The September 21 rallies will have two main venues in Metro Manila –Luneta Park in Manila and People Power Monument in Quezon City.

What can be expected from the events?

TAMA NA in Luneta

Taumbayan Ayaw sa Magnanakaw at Abusado Network Alliance (TAMA NA) convenor David San Juan said the  “Baha sa Luneta: Aksyon Na Laban sa Korapsyon!” at Luneta Park in Manila on Sunday seeks to demand the government to remove from office, hold accountable and imprison all those involved in the anomalous flood control projects and other corrupt activities.

The protest will also demand the return of the stolen public funds and reallocate them the recovered funds for health, education, housing, and compensation for flood victims.

“Hence, the Luneta action makes it clear na wala tayong sasantuhing politikong korap; no sacred cows. Basta korap na dynasties, ayaw natin at gusto nating managot at ikulong lahat ng korap kahit anong administrasyon pa galing,” San Juan told GMA News Online.

On choosing Luneta, TAMA NA said that holding the protest at Luneta is also a tribute to its old name of “Bagumbayan” as the rally is also seeking a “renewed nation.”

“And of course, all roads literally lead to Luneta (Kilometer Zero is Rizal’s Monument). The old name of Luneta is Bagumbayan and in a way, by choosing Luneta for this action, we are saying “we want a new nation, a people renewed,” San Juan explained, adding that the location is near flood-prone areas in the CAMANAVA area.

More than 20 groups are behind the “Baha sa Luneta” rally which includes Greenpeace, Makabayan Coalition, Gabriela, Partido Lakas Masa, Kilusang Mayo Uno, among others.

“We are expecting tens of thousands of first-timers (mga first time magprotesta etc.), especially students in Taft, Ubelt, and Katipunan areas, mga nababaha lagi, mga mula sa coastal communities, mga environment groups, bikers, runners, church people from all denominations, social media influencers, vloggers, mga artista etc. Even the Filipino-Chinese community and some businessmen will join Luneta,” said San Juan.

San Juan added that there will be similar gatherings in Baguio, Cebu, Bulacan, and Pampanga for those who cannot come to the protests in Metro Manila.

Trillion Peso March in EDSA

Meanwhile, the “Trillion Peso March” that will also take place on Sunday will be a church-led protest, said Kiko Aquino Dee of Tindig Pilipinas.

“This is a church-led protest, and the church played a major role in the People Power Revolution in 1986. Luneta and EDSA are also complimentary as people located in different parts of Metro Manila can go to the venue closer to them,” Dee told GMA News Online, explaining why EDSA was the location of the protest.

While both protests seek accountability, the organizers of the EDSA rally noted that it will not call for any ouster.

“We're calling for accountability for all cases of corruption across all administrations. The rally is not in support of any political bloc. It is also not calling for the ouster of any politician,” said Dee.

Among the convenors of the “Trillion Peso March” are the Church Leaders' Council for National Transformation, 1Sambayan, Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan, Clergy for Good Governance, Simbahan at Komunidad Laban sa Katiwalian, and TAMA NA.

Dee said that they are expecting 30,000 people to attend the EDSA protest.

When asked about the move of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to create the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) as an answer to concerns amid reports of anomalous flood control projects, San Juan said it a “small step.”

“The Independent Commission is a positive yet very small step. We hope that the IC can do its job swiftly kasi pag mabagal, baka abutan na ng next president and the next president may also come from one of the many corrupt dynasties,” he said.

“Dapat ang IC magkaroon ng representatives from people’s organizations, civil society groups, anti-corruption formations etc. Kasi pag walang representatives from the people, baka mauwi lang sa filing cabinet ang results ng IC,” he added.

Dee expressed concern about the commission’s absence of consultation with the civil society.

“We believe that legislation is necessary to give the commission contempt powers to compel all involved government officials to participate in the investigation,” he said. “We are also concerned with the lack of civil society consultation and participation in the selection of its members. We will be monitoring the ICI's moves in the coming weeks and will call it out should it fail to meet the people's demand for accountability.” —NB/LDF, GMA Integrated News