Sophia Valencia, an attendee at the Philippines’ nationwide rally last Sept. 21, said she initially didn’t understand the need to protest. She felt “hopeless” knowing the extent of the Philippine government’s corruption. But when she decided to stand next to her countrymen, with the People Power monument looming over her, she was moved to tears.
“I felt so much love and passion from every single Filipino there,” Valencia said. “I remembered this is a fight we’re all fighting, and every single Filipino deserves better.”
Thousands of Filipino citizens took to the streets for a nationwide protest against government corruption on the 53rd anniversary of former President Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of martial law in the Philippines.
Co said President Marcos Sr. ushered in a culture of nepotism and “ill-gotten” wealth during martial law, where taxpayers’ money would only go to him, his family and his friends. Co said Filipinos still feel the effects of Marcos Sr.’s corruption today, referring to the 1 trillion Philippine Peso national budget for flood control projects recently revealed to be allocated to “ghost” contractors, or contractors who do not complete a project they were paid to complete.
“We’re protesting the culture, the rotten politics of today that is being held up and the chief architect of which is now President Marcos Jr.,” Congresswoman Attorney Renee Co of the Kabataan or Youth partylist in the Philippines said.
Jojo Ibalio, a Filipino American and senior studying electrical engineering, also said the need Filipinos had to protest came from watching the children of these ghost contractors flaunting their designer clothes and luxury belongings on TikTok as threats of floods worsened throughout the country. Jamilah Salvador, a protester, also said that she felt compelled to join after paying taxes for years, only for her money to be misused.
“[The Philippines] is like a different country. It’s not a place I recognize anymore,” said Andrei Galura, a sophomore majoring in human biology.
Valencia said the protest was intense, yet peaceful. There were so many people, traffic came to a standstill as protesters weaved through cars, Valencia said. She saw protestors buying from street vendors and sharing food. Despite all the love she felt, she said she still felt the anger among her countrymen.
“I felt the energy of the Filipinos, like we’re done with this. Tama na, sumasobra na (That’s enough, it’s too much already).” Valencia said.
Marc Marasigan, another protester, also said people of different social classes came together in solidarity, repeatedly chanting “Ikulong yung mga kurakot (Arrest the corrupt)!”
Though Marasigan said although the protest he attended was also peaceful, the protests at Mendiola Street turned violent. Co said protesters in this area started setting tires on fire. Co does not agree with their tactics, but acknowledges why their anger would drive them to these lengths.
“It is for [these protesters], a life and death matter, because they have no homes to return to,” Co said. “Their communities have been flooded with no accountability to those that caused it.”
In return, Co said police did not exercise maximum tolerance as required by law. Rather, she said police threw tear gas, assaulted anyone wearing black, arrested over 200 people without reading them their rights and did not give those arrested adequate food or water. She also said some of those arrested were bystanders, recounting how one of them told her they were fixing their sandals and was suddenly taken. She said both sides of the protests were violent, but there was a power imbalance in favor of the law enforcement.
“We protest [this] system, and it is in our interest that the youth do not forget this anger, but continue on despite the developments politically and economically happening at the same time,” Co said. “To all Filipino Americans, especially to the Filipino American youth, our future is being taken from us in front of our own eyes.”
Rapha Espiritu Rivera, a sophomore studying comparative literature who considers himself both Filipino and Filipino American, said corruption in the Philippines concerns Americans because their corruption is a byproduct of American colonization. For instance, he said President Marcos Sr. found refuge in America after being ousted from power by the Philippine people.
“The Philippines isn’t isolatedly corrupt. It’s connected to how the world is set up,” Rivera said.
Ibalio also said that while it seems the flood control corruption only affects Filipinos in the Philippines, Filipino Americans will also bear the weight of the current government’s actions. He said Macy Monique Maglanque, the elected labor attache of the Department of Migrant Workers in Los Angeles, which aims to represent the rights of Filipino overseas workers, was found to be connected to the ghost flood control projects. Ibalio said the lack of representation for migrant workers is especially difficult under the United States government’s current pushback against immigrants.
Valencia said that while there are Filipino Americans who go out of their way to educate themselves on current Philippine politics, there are still others who are “detached” from Filipino concerns. She hopes the latter of these Filipino Americans will understand the need to raise awareness about what is happening in the Philippines alongside American issues.
“These are your brothers and your sisters struggling every single day without you caring or noticing. It just hurts,” Valencia said. “I hope the care you give to other Filipino Americans over there is the same care that you would give to Filipinos back home.”
Ibalio said one of the ways Filipino Americans can support the Philippines is by joining local youth organizations, like the Tanggol Migrante (Defend Migrants) Movement, an organization that aims to protect Filipino migrant workers. He said the organization does outreach programs alongside protests, including when members visited Jollibee in downtown LA to educate Filipino migrant workers on their rights under the current US administration.
“It’s just a devastating reality for the migrant workers here … [if] the change is not going to happen through the elected officials here or in the Philippines, the change is going to happen through the power of the people,” Ibalio said.