Bayan's Casiño warns Sept. 21 marchers vs. parties with vested interests

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) chairman Teddy Casiño, a former Bayan Muna party-list representative, on Saturday urged participants of the upcoming September 21 rallies to be vigilant of those who might take advantage of the anti-corruption movement for their own political interests.

At a news forum in Quezon City, Casiño clarified that the protest actions on Sunday will focus on holding corrupt officials accountable and will not call for the resignation of either President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. or Vice President Sara Duterte.

"Both in EDSA and Luneta [rallies], wala sa panawagan ang resignation (There will be no calls for resignation both in the EDSA and Luneta rallies)," he said.

The former lawmaker said organizers of the movement cannot prevent anyone from calling for the resignations of the country's top leaders as these are "legitimate calls."

However, Casiño said, "Mag-ingat tayo sa mga sentimiyentong 'yan para gamitin sa ibang interes (Let's be careful about such sentiments which can be used for other interests)."

"We are very wary of calls for [Marcos'] resignation, although tingin namin it is a legitimate call… legitimate din ang call ng impeachment ni Sara Duterte. Ang iniiwasan natin ay makapasok sa away ng dalawa," he added.

(We are very wary of calls for Marcos' resignation, although we view this as a legitimate call... just like the call to impeach Sara Duterte. What we are avoiding is infiltration that would drum up calls against the two leaders.)

In a press conference Thursday at the House of Representatives, lawmakers of the Makabayan bloc clarified that the September 21 protest in Luneta Park is protest action against corruption and not a call for Marcos to step down.

They added that it will not send a message to bring Duterte home from his detention in The Hague, Netherlands under the International Criminal Court.

'Other forces'

The former lawmaker stressed that the anti-corruption movement will call for jail time of all those involved in alleged corruption in government projects.

"Ikulong lahat ng mga sangkot. Wala tayong sasantuhin, whether sila ay maka-Marcos o maka-Duterte," he said.

(Jail all of those involved. We won't spare anyone, whether they are pro-Marcos or pro-Duterte.)

Likewise, political analyst Ronald Llamas, former political adviser of the late President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III, warned that "other forces" would ride on the movement for their own vested interests.

"'Wag natin kalimutan na nandiyan ang mga masasamang elemento na 'yan sa gilid-gilid sa sinimulan nating magandang layunin," Llamas said.

(Let us not forget that there are negative elements in the corners of what we started as a worthy aspiration.)

Several protests started to break out as the public called out the luxurious lifestyle of government contractors, officials, and their families members on social media while many Filipinos grapple with the consequences of substandard and non-existent flood control projects.

Multiple rallies will lead to one big protest action on September 21, Sunday, which is also the 53rd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law by the President's father, the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

The mass actions are split into two main venues in Luneta Park in Manila City and People Power Monument in Quezon City.

In a press conference on Monday, Marcos said that if he was not 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." — VDV, GMA Integrated News