By Tonyo Cruz

The Sept. 21 rallies at Luneta, EDSA and many parts of the country were a powerful display of Filipino vigilance and readiness to act in the face of unmitigated corruption of public funds.

An estimated 100,000 made “Baha sa Luneta” a reality by taking turns occupying the whole Kilometer Zero area across the Rizal Monument and surrounding areas. Tens of thousands fixed the problem of the anti-commuter EDSA People Power Monument by jamming the entire stretch from the shrine to the monument plus the flyover. Perhaps that’s another 100,000 along EDSA from Ortigas to White Plains. (The police and MMDA cannot lie about the crowd numbers. People also took to the MRT and LRT. The numbers could be verified. There are a lot of CCTVs too.)

Whether in Luneta, EDSA or the cities where protests were held, the target of popular outrage were the politicians, public officials and contractors. No exceptions, no special treatment. Lahat ng sangkot, dapat managot. Panahon na para sa pananagutan.

The cynics clearly underestimated the intelligence and fighting will of Filipinos.

People were obviously following the blow-by-blow, blanket coverage of the Senate and House investigations. They were revolted by profligacy and extravagance of the contractors and the “nepo babies”. They also obviously found as outrageous the “performative outrage” of some lawmakers allegedly involved. Neither was the public satisfied with the toppling of the former Senate president and former House speaker.

On the eve of the protests, Sarah Geronimo spoke of changing the rotten system (“bulok na sistema”) and finally having a progressive country worthy of our dignity, hard work and lofty aspiration.

The protests should silence the cynics, a.k.a. fanboys and girls of politicians, wanted to reduce the protests into a choice between the two main warring political camps of Marcos and Duterte. Both camps and all politicians should be held accountable.

Different folks, different strokes

The GenZs led by students of the University of the Philippines and other schools, the mass movements, people’s organizations, people of faith, professionals, and ordinary folk went to Luneta by the tens of thousands, in an endless parades of organized marches and by batches on board trains and jeeps. San Carlos bishop Gerardo Alminaza of Negros honored the Luneta crowd, paying tribute to the Luneta protesters standing solidly against corruption.

Responding to the call of bishops, the universities and parishes mobilized for EDSA rather systematically from across the metropolis. Many had also planned to go there, and they were joined by scores coming from Luneta. Cubao bishop Elias Ayuban Jr., a son of Bohol, presided over a mass at EDSA.

There were a lot of artists who joined the rallies at Luneta and especially at EDSA. Except for a few, they did not announce it ahead of time, but chose to make their participation known by being there on the day itself.

The violence in Mendiola, both from black-clad protesters and the police, add another dimension or layer to the protests. The police said they don’t know them but viciously attacked them, and made more than 100 arrests. 

Some expectedly recoiled at the sight of violence, but there are more and more voices connecting the absolutely crazy levels of corruption with the pent-up, exploding anger of some, with the pre-existing vessels of popular anger seemingly not enough, not forceful enough, not pro-poor enough, not introspective enough, not inclusive enough, or not honest enough for them. Then, there are the apparent efforts to cover up, to deceive, to let one camp get away in favor of another, and to repeat the age-old cynical script that in the end, the poor would not have anything at the end of this supposedly mighty struggle for change.

The “performative outrage” of the highest government officials and lawmakers is obviously box-office poison. No one got fooled. Neither did attempts to turn the rallies into an arena of favoring Marcos over Duterte, and vice versa. The whole drama only made people angrier. The term “bulok na sistema” is not in the popular lexicon for nothing. People know it, and they want change.

Streets reclaimed

The good news is that Filipinos are reclaiming the streets as avenues for fighting for change, and this is sending an unmistakable message to all politicians that they cannot fool around, jerk around, and “perform” their old schticks, hoping that people would forget.

We don’t expect these politicians to suddenly rediscover consultations and townhalls anytime soon. They are on the receiving end of public fury. The public may not want to hear them any longer. The only thing people want from their politicians seems to be to see them in jail.

How that change could be achieved should now be on everyone’s mind for our individual and collective contemplation. The old ways may not be enough. Our guesses and even most ardent or most sincere beliefs may not be entirely right on who, what and how changes could best be achieved. For instance, the competing politicians and their cynical supporters look solely on elections, damning others, and lionizing themselves. For others, they focus on respectability, decency, morality and peace. The different thought leaders, political leaders, movement leaders and moral leaders have their work cut out for them.

Leading to the EDSA and Luneta rallies, there were media questions about why there were two rallies, and not one. I beg to disagree. The question is, why only two. For a metropolis of 15 million, we can have maybe 10 big simultaneous rallies. Maybe next time, we cannot be limited to EDSA and Luneta. We could have big protests in Mendiola, Ayala Avenue, Alabang, Monumento, Baclaran, with several tens of thousands in each of them.  This could only be possible if the leaders, organizations, faiths, creeds, beliefs and ideologies would come together and support one another in a common, coordinated and joint action.

Maybe we need more masses and worship services, and less praying over for the powerful and the wealthy. Maybe there should be an all-urban poor rally, an all-professionals rally, a working class rally. Maybe there should be national student boycott. Maybe an industrial strike. Maybe a welgang bayan, the first in the new millennium, to send a powerful message to the government and the system that change must come.

Across the country, people should be able to mount a big protest in every capitol and every major city. The shameless corruption of the “bulok na sistema” is nationwide. The protests should be nationwide as well.

Are these too much, too radical, too excessive? No, it is the corruption and the rotten system that’s too much. Seeing the slow pace and apparent futility of relying solely on the system to fix itself (a pipe dream some would say, especially when we think of abolishing pork and dynasties), The people are creating the means to stop corruption and change the system. Let’s not interrupt them. Let’s support them. (DAA)

Note: The author is a Manila Bulletin columnist, and a supporter of the Baha sa Luneta Rally Against Corruption.