Rallies vs flood control scandal set in Cebu

Local

OUTRAGE over corruption in flood control projects is spilling into the streets.

Various groups and universities are set to mount indignation rallies to demand accountability from government officials, contractors, and politicians they accuse of betraying the public trust.

The coalition Panaghiusa sa Yanong Sugbuanon Batok sa Korapsyon (Payong), composed of grassroots organizations, youth groups, business leaders, workers, religious groups, and professionals, announced that it will hold a mass protest rally on Sunday, September 14, at Plaza Independencia.

“While many kababayan suffer in flooded streets and submerged homes, a few corrupt individuals profit from their misery,” Pyong said in a statement.

The group denounced what it described as systemic misuse of funds, overpricing, substandard works, and collusion between the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), contractors, and local politicians.

They demanded full disclosure of all contracts, bidding documents, engineering reports, and audit findings related to flood control projects.

PAYONG is also calling for:

-imprisonment of officials and contractors found guilty of corruption,

-mandatory signing of bank waivers by public officials for lifestyle checks, and

-an independent investigation with civil society oversight.

Convenor Edward Ligas stressed that the event is non-political, saying no politicians were invited or allowed to speak.

“No, wala mi mag-invite og mga politicians to attend the rally. So mga kuan rani siya, sectoral groups,” Ligas said, clarifying that the rally is open to everyone regardless of political affiliation.

“This is a coalition — whether pro-Duterte, anti-Duterte, pink, or yellow, everyone is welcome here as long as we don’t talk about politics, only condemnation of corruption in our government today,” he added.

Before the rally, participants will stage a caravan passing through Cebu City, Mandaue, Talisay, and Lapu-Lapu.

UP Cebu joins call with ‘Day of Indignation’

On Monday, September 15, the University of the Philippines Cebu community will hold its own Day of Indignation from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. inside campus grounds and along Gorordo Avenue. Faculty, staff, students, and REPS have been urged to wear black as a sign of solidarity.

In a strongly worded address during the University Council meeting, Chancellor Leo Malagar urged the academic community not to remain silent.

“This is not just bad governance. This is theft. Theft not only of public funds, but of our people’s dignity, their trust, their future,” the Chancellor said.

“We must rise. We must awaken. We must teach that integrity is not negotiable, that excellence without honor is empty, and that corruption is violence — violence against the poor, against the vulnerable, against the nation’s soul,” he added.

Part of a growing movement

The Cebu actions come as part of a nationwide wave of protests against alleged anomalies in flood control projects.

Church leaders have called for a massive “A Trillion Peso March” on September 21 at EDSA, coinciding with the 53rd anniversary of Martial Law. Protesters are asked to wear white to symbolize the call for accountability.

The Department of Finance earlier estimated that the economy lost between P42.3 billion and P118.5 billion in the last two years alone because of ghost and defective flood control projects.

From Metro Manila to Albay, Pampanga, and Baguio, civil society groups, student organizations, workers, and religious institutions have staged demonstrations since early September, signaling what organizers describe as the beginning of “sustained people’s protests” against corruption.

In Cebu, PAYONG said its rally is only the start.

“This is not normal, and we refuse to accept it as normal,” the group declared. “Corruption has drowned too many of our communities already. It must end now.”(TGP)