Filipinos have angrily protested and demanded an end to corruption. What now?
“Ikulong ang korap!” “Panagutin ang trapo!” “Huwag kang magnakaw.” “Baguhin ang sistema.”
Angry Filipinos carrying placards with such demands marched in cities across the Philippines on Sunday, Sept. 21, demanding accountability from the government and condemning widespread corruption among politicians.
Reaching numbers in the thousands, people flocked to organized protests in Manila’s Baha sa Luneta rally, Quezon City’s Trillion Peso March, and similar mass demonstrations in the cities of Angeles, Olongapo, Baguio, Bulacan, Tagbilaran, Davao, Bacolod, Cebu, Dumaguete, and Iloilo.
Now that we have collectively made our fury and frustrations known, what should we do next?
Eliminate dynasties
With existing anti-corruption measures overseen by government institutions—such as the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan—already in place, “we have to look for ways by which we can avoid what happened during the budget process for the 2025 budget,” Dennis Coronacion, political analyst and professor of political science at the University of Santo Tomas, told PhilSTAR L!fe. “There were insertions made, and there was also… abuse in terms of the use of the unprogrammed funds.”
For him, one way to do so is to prioritize transparency in the processes and findings of the bicameral conference committee.
He added that the government has to look at one of the roots of the problem: political dynasties.
“We should also address the underlying reasons for this corruption. If we’re going to look at the backgrounds of the lawmakers involved here, makikita mo that most of the wrongdoings in the government are committed by members of political dynasties who have entrenched themselves in power,” he said.
“This is the perfect time for us to demand from [the government] the passage of the anti-dynasty bill, habang may momentum pa, habang nahihiya pa sila sa atin,” he continued.
Outside of the budget cycle, Coronacion recommended that the Commission on Audit needs to be more proactive in determining whether a project is finished or not. Reacting to ghost projects by filing fraud audit reports after these bogus projects are discovered is not enough.
Continued protests
One way to keep the government on its toes, noted Coronacion, is to peacefully hold public protests every week.
“We go to these freedom parks, to EDSA, and we continue to pressure our government officials, especially President Marcos, to continue on with his initiative of getting rid of corruption,” he said.
For Danilo Arao, professor of the Department of Journalism at the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Media and Communications, these rallies “should be considered culminating activities. In schools, as well as in other communities, there should be continuing fora, educational discussions, not just on the flood control projects, but on the burning issues of the day.”
Vigilance is key
More than these activities, Arao suggested a crash course on media literacy—an urgent need, especially in the age of generative AI.
“There is a need to fact-check everything,” he told L!fe. “This would have to be the responsibility not just of news media organizations but also ordinary people. Fact-checking is a skill that’s not exclusive to journalists.”
Arao gave a few tips on how to develop this skill.
“We look for the credibility of the source,” he said. “Whether it’s a website or a social media account, we look at the people behind such accounts—the journalists or the writers themselves. If they have a good track record when it comes to truth-telling, then more or less, we can somehow believe what they say.”
Still, taking the word of one person or one organization should not be enough. Arao calls this multi-sourcing—a necessary task especially when reading about breaking news. If several reliable news media organizations share the same data, it should be reliable.
With Filipinos generally spending up to 11 hours per day on social media, it would also be a good idea to brush up on skills distinguishing bots from real, reliable people. Arao has one basic rule: “Don’t follow those who publish generative AI that would be engaged in misinformation.” Or at least, view them anonymously so that the algorithm will not add these bots to your preferred online content.
PhilSTAR L!fe encourages internet users to combat disinformation by promoting cautious, mindful consumption and sharing of online content with its campaign called Facts Now, Feelings Later.
Coronacion, however, believes Filipinos should do more to sustain this fervor and vigilance.
The bottom line, he noted, is voters' education.
“Our politicians are very creative and resourceful in terms of looking for ways to go around these anti-corruption measures,” Coronacion noted.
Yet, there is hope and we can find it within us. “Huwang nating hayaan ‘yung [sistemang ganito]. Nasa atin ang kapangyarihan para mapigilan ‘yung ganitong klaseng corruption,” he said.