LAST September 21, more than 200,000 Filipinos filled the streets nationwide to demand an end to corruption and accountability from politicians, government agencies, and private contractors. In Panay, almost 15,000 joined protest actions, holding walkouts, prayer vigils, and programs in the centers of Iloilo City, Roxas City, Kalibo, and San Jose. This was no ordinary protest. It marked the biggest single-day regionwide mass action since the pandemic, showing the people’s readiness to confront the rotten system that has long brought misery and injustice.
The date itself was historic. On the 53rd anniversary of Martial Law, the Filipino people once again showed that they have not forgotten the crimes of the Marcos dictatorship. Today, Marcos Jr. carries forward that same legacy of plunder and repression. The massive actions last September 21 prove that the people are not deceived by his fake anti-corruption campaigns and empty promises.
What was striking was the broad unity of sectors: students and youth, professionals, business groups, church people, as well as workers, urban poor, peasants, and even ordinary commuters fed up with heavy traffic and flooding. United in their anger against the entrenched corruption and violence of the ruling elite, Panayanons took their outrage to the streets, braving the rain.
But a rotten system cannot be dismantled in one day alone. History teaches us that genuine change has always required not just a single protest, but sustained struggle — struggles that may take months, years, and often come at great sacrifice. The root of corruption lies in bureaucrat capitalism: a system where political dynasties, landlords, and big businessmen exploit government power for profit, connive with private contractors and agencies, and plunder public funds through pork barrel schemes, overpriced infrastructure, and so-called “development projects” that serve only the elite’s pockets.
On September 21, it became clear that it is not only Duterte or Marcos who are guilty, but the entire system itself that must be overhauled. Our task, then, is to educate, organize, and mobilize even more people in Iloilo and across Panay. We must transform outrage into collective power. We must link the fight against corruption to the daily struggles for jobs, land, just wages, social services, and national sovereignty.
In the immediate, we demand that those who are corrupt be punished. Investigations must proceed, especially into all projects here on our island. Among the most glaring is the Aganan Flyover, which has already consumed more than P1.1 billion. Issues surrounding its faulty construction remain unresolved. On September 29, Engr. Jose Al Fruto, Assistant Regional Director of DPWH Region 6, announced that P285 million under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) 2026 has again been allotted for the continuation of the project. But we must first ask: what happened to the investigation? What were its results? Has there been an independent review of the plans? Is the project even still feasible, or are we once again wasting the people’s hard-earned taxes? There must be accountability before resuming this project.
Additionally, the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project Phase II, or the Jalaur Mega Dam, should also be scrutinized, as its budget has ballooned to more than P20 billion. For 2026, the government has proposed an additional P755 million for it. There must also be answers regarding the P7 billion in unprogrammed appropriations allotted in 2024 — funds not found in the 2024 GAA — and why 80% of the project’s high-line canal was turned over to local contractors. These are questions that demand transparency and accountability.
BAYAN Panay commits to continue working with its member-organizations and the broader democratic movement to sustain the momentum of the September 21 upsurge. Let us not stop at exposing corruption — let us build the movement that will dismantle the system that breeds it. The fight ahead will be long and difficult, but history is on the side of a people who refuse to be silenced.
Makibaka, huwag matakot! Tanan nga korap, dapat manabat! Bag-uhon ang korap nga sistema! Ibagsak ang burukrata kapitalismo! – ELMER FORRO, secretary general, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan – Panay
