Andrew Jonathan Bagaoisan

Hundreds of youth and other sectors hold a protest at Rizal Park in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan alongside other anti-corruption activities across the country on Sunday, September 21, 2025. Photo courtesy: Bloggers of Tuguegarao / Janford Bonifacio

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<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:958px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1758523919662Sept 21 Tuguegarao Protest Courtesy Bloggers of Tuguegarao.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Hundreds of youth and other sectors hold a protest at Rizal Park in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan alongside other anti-corruption activities across the country on Sunday, September 21, 2025. Photo courtesy: Bloggers of Tuguegarao / Janford Bonifacio"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Hundreds of youth and other sectors hold a protest at Rizal Park in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan alongside other anti-corruption activities across the country on Sunday, September 21, 2025. Photo courtesy: Bloggers of Tuguegarao / Janford Bonifacio</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA -- Alongside the big anti-corruption protests in Metro Manila on Sunday, Filipinos in various provinces also took to the streets in their localities to make their voices heard on the country&#x27;s governance issues.</p><p>Their call from Cagayan to Albay to Negros Oriental to Lanao del Sur: jail the corrupt and keep vigilance.</p><p>Around 300 youth carried placards and banners on thoroughfares of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan calling for guilty officials and personalities to be jailed.</p><p>At a program in Rizal Park following the peaceful march, they decried the corruption that they believe contributes to the intense flooding they experience in the northern province during typhoons or monsoon rains.</p><p>They also railed against the entrenchment of political dynasties.</p><p>&quot;Dynasty ang magpapahirap sa atin,&quot; said protester Czarina.</p><p>(Dynasties make things more difficult for us.) </p><p>Participants like Jaymark Pascua also expressed anger at the impact of corruption on education.</p><p>&quot;Sa bawat pisong binubulsa ng mga tiwali may kabataan na nawawalan ng aklat, guro na hindi nasasapat ang sahod, at silid-aralan ang hindi naipapatayo,&quot; Pascua said.</p><p>(For every peso the corrupt pocket, there are youths who lose books, teachers who fail to get right wages, and classrooms left unbuilt.)</p><p>The young were also joined by older activists, such as Dr. Lena Velarde, convenor of the Cagayanos Advocacy for Reforms and Empowerment.</p><p>Velarde recalled holding rallies in Tuguegarao back in 2001 alongside the EDSA protests in Manila that led to the ouster of former President Joseph Estrada.</p><p>&quot;Sana magtagumpay tayo maski malayo tayo sa EDSA… ipakita natin na tayong mga Cagayano, ayaw natin ng korapsyon,&quot; she said.</p><p>(I hope we fulfill our goals despite us being far from EDSA...let us show that we Cagayanos hate corruption.)</p><p>Farmers also joined the rally, their sector calling for an end to mining in the province of Nueva Vizcaya which they blame for flooding in the lowland areas of the region.</p><p>Protests were also held in Baguio City, Benguet.</p><p>READ: <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/9/21/baguio-benguet-laban-sa-korapsyon-march-isinagawa-sa-baguio-city-1529" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Baguio-Benguet Laban sa Korapsyon March, isinagawa sa Baguio City</a></p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;KUNG HINDI NATIN ITO SUSUBAYBAYAN...&#x27;</strong></div><div><span style="color:rgb(184, 49, 47)"></span></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1969627693260943819&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2025-09-22T07%3A39%3A07.480924%3A8babd245-239d-4e0e-ad86-4423c2384b22%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=02cf40f10aac427b58f8236bfdfb3e7fcd94f187&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:550px;height:672px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1969627693260943819"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><p>More than 600 people from 20 civic groups, meanwhile, held a protest in Legazpi City, Albay on Sunday morning, marching from the Redemptorist Church.</p><p>Organized by the Albay Movement Against Corruption (AMAC) and also timed with the region&#x27;s celebration of the Peñafrancia Festival, the rally called for corrupt officials to return the public funds they stole.</p><p>“Lahat tayo may concern dito kasi pera natin ito, pera ng bayan. Dapat sana masaya tayo kung alam natin kung saan napupunta ang buwis na binabayaran natin,” said AMAC spokesperson Tet Triunfante.</p><p>(We are all concerned here since this is our money, the nation&#x27;s money. We should be happy if we know our taxes are being put to good use.)</p><p>Triunfante urged Filipinos to be vigilant and continue monitoring corruption investigations such as the one by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure.</p><p>“Isang kongkretong hakbang ito para sa paglitis ng mga nagkasala. Kung hindi natin subaybayan, baka maging kagaya lang din ito ng mga komisyong nilikha noon na walang nangyari,” Triunfante said. </p><p>(This is a concrete step toward putting the guilty to account. If we do not keep track of this, this might end up like other commissions in the past that led to nowhere.)</p><p>Student activists like Jan Sander Aban of the National Union of Students in the Philippines – Bicol detailed the struggles of their sector such as lack of resources.</p><p>“Hindi hiwalay ang laban ng mga estudyante sa laban ng mamamayan. Kailangan lumaban ang kabataan at mamamayan laban sa korapsyon dahil laban ito ng buong sambayanang Pilipino,” Aban said.</p><p>(The fight of students is not separate from the rest of us. The youth need to fight corruption along with citizens since this is the fight of the whole Filipino nation.)</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY</strong></div><div><span style="color:rgb(184, 49, 47)"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FabscbnNEWS%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0VwebnjdWgy3R7R52ydkCeMGhmkPaJLozHv5Tz3vVLwpsiA9kZT7X8qLuDy8HVKGSl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="767" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></div><p>In Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, around 350 participants from various civic and sectoral groups marched along Pantawan 1 Rizal Boulevard for the “Singgit Katilingban!” (Shout of the Community) protest to call for accountability.</p><p>Known for being a “university town,” the Pantawan 1 Rizal Boulevard sprawled with students from various universities and schools in Dumaguete City to rally for similar causes.</p><p>Representatives from religious sectors, LGBTQIA+ community, youth groups, environmental sectors, and others also gave talks on their plights and sentiments against government corruption.</p><p>Silliman University faculty Karl Villarmea brought attention to the salary disparity between educators and government officials. He then called for the improvement of the government’s priority for education.</p><p>Dr. Frances Yap, another speaker, spoke up for the community’s health sector and reminded the protest attendees of the alleged anomalies in the country’s healthcare systems.</p><p>READ: <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/21/thousands-take-to-streets-as-filipinos-protest-flood-control-fraud-2307" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Thousands take to streets as Filipinos protest flood control fraud</a></p><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘BIKTIMA NA NG TERORISTA, NINAKAWAN PA NG KONTRATISTA’</strong></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:560px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1969686946164416758&amp;lang=en&amp;maxWidth=560px&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2025-09-22T07%3A39%3A07.480924%3A8babd245-239d-4e0e-ad86-4423c2384b22%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=2cedfd416cbaa2f3e249b89f878e3aa339553ab3&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:560px;height:560px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1969686946164416758"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>“Bakwits” or internally displaced persons from Marawi City were also represented at Sunday&#x27;s anti-corruption rally in Luneta, Manila.</p><p>Members of the sector who joined the protest laid blame on contractors who have yet to finish rebuilding parts the war-ravaged city since the Marawi siege, leaving many unable to return home to 24 most-affected barangays considered “closed towns”.</p><p>“Hanggang ngayon bakwit pa rin (Bakwits until now),” is the message educator and Marawi IDP Dayalyn Mathet Acoon Tingaraan wants the rest of the country to still hear.</p><p>“Bilyon-bilyon ang inilaan para sa rehabilitasyon… pero nasaan ang mga paaralan…ospital… kompensasyon… kuryente at patubig?,&quot; she said.</p><p>“Pagod na tayong mga Pilipino sa katiwalian. Itigil na natin ang korapsyon!”</p><p>(Billions have been allocated for the rehabilitation, but where are the schools, hospital, compensation, power and water? We Filipinos are tired of corruption, let us end it!)</p><p>Most of the protest actions throughout the country on Sunday were deemed peaceful and without violent incident, although clashes with police broke out in parts of Manila later that day after the rallies ended.</p><p>Over 200 were arrested in the capital, with police saying 95 uniformed personnel were injured in the violence.<br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/21/in-photos-outpouring-of-anger-as-filipinos-demand-accountability-2253" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a></p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/21/in-photos-outpouring-of-anger-as-filipinos-demand-accountability-2253" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IN PHOTOS: Outpouring of anger as Filipinos demand accountability</a></div><div><strong>--With reports from Janford Bonifacio, Winkie Bernaldez, and ABS-CBN News intern Genno Rabaya</strong><br/><br/><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zfGUajqNRYM??si=AJSvuFu581c718lz&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong></div>

<p>Their call from Cagayan to Albay to Negros Oriental to Lanao del Sur: jail the corrupt and keep vigilance.</p>

Their call from Cagayan to Albay to Negros Oriental to Lanao del Sur: jail the corrupt and keep vigilance.

Youth, 'bakwits' join corruption protests in provinces

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Youth, 'bakwits' join corruption protests in provinces

Anjo Bagaoisan,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 22, 2025 03:37 PM PHT

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Updated September 22, 2025 05:45 PM PHT

Read More:

September 21 protests

rallies

protests

corruption

flood control

Tuguegarao

Cagayan

Legazpi

Albay

Dumaguete City

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