Free the Mendiola Detainees! They Stand With Us in the Fight Against Corruption!

 Free the Mendiola Detainees!

They Stand With Us in the Fight Against Corruption!

 

What happened in Mendiola on September 21 was not mere chaos. The anger of the youth and the people is a legitimate response to decades of oppression and plunder by the state and its capitalist allies. Their courage and the forms of protest they chose—no matter how intense or unfamiliar to some—are born out of deep poverty, the tokhang killings that claimed thousands of lives, demolitions and forced evictions, and the systematic looting of the nation’s wealth.

 

The government’s response was once again violence: over 200 were arrested, many beaten and struck with batons, including young people—branded as “criminals,” “rioters,” and “addicts” instead of having their demands heard. Time and again, the state chooses repression rather than addressing the roots of people’s anger and resistance.

 

We condemn this police brutality. All those arrested must be freed immediately, with their rights to legal and medical support guaranteed. Their struggle is not separate from the struggle of every worker and poor person exploited daily under this system.

 

Mendiola is a reminder: the anger is not just that of the youth, but of an entire people long abandoned by the government. As long as power rests in the hands of a wealthy few and political dynasties, the people’s rage will continue to ignite.

 

We stand firmly with the youth, workers, and poor in their fight against poverty and corruption! What we need are genuine political and social reforms—ones that will break the stranglehold of corrupt politicians and greedy capitalists, and pave the way toward social justice.

𝙋𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙜𝙖 𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖 𝙈𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙡𝙖, 𝙆𝙖𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙖 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙖 𝙨𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖 𝙠𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙖 𝙠𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣!

𝙋𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙜𝙖 𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖 𝙈𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙡𝙖,

𝙆𝙖𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙖 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙖 𝙨𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖 𝙠𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙖 𝙠𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣!

 

Hindi simpleng kaguluhan ang naganap sa Mendiola kahapon. Ang galit ng kabataan at mamamayan ay lehitimong tugon sa dekada-dekadang pang-aapi at pangungurakot ng estado at ng mga kapitalista. Ang kanilang tapang at porma ng protesta, gaano man katindi o kaiba sa ating nakasanayan, ay bunga ng masidhing kahirapan, ng tokhang na kumitil sa libo-libong buhay, ng mga demolisyon at pagpapalayas, at ng sistematikong pagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan.

 

Ngunit ang tugon ng gobyerno ay karahasan din: mahigit 200 bayolenteng inaresto, ang ilan pa ay binugbog, pinagpapalo, kabilang ang mga kabataan, habang binabansagan silang "kriminal", "rioters", "adik", sa halip na unawain ang kanilang panawagan. Muli, pinili at pipiliin ng estado ang represyon kaysa sa pagtugon sa mga ugat ng galit at pagkilos.

 

Kinukondena namin ang brutalidad ng pulisya. Dapat palayain ang lahat ng inaresto at tiyakin ang kanilang karapatan sa legal at medikal na suporta. Ang kanilang laban ay hindi hiwalay sa laban ng bawat manggagawa’t maralita na araw-araw inaapi at pinagsasamantalahan sa ilalim ng sistemang ito.

 

Ipinapaalala ng Mendiola na hindi indibidwal na kabataan lamang ang galit kundi buong sambayanang matagal nang tinatalikuran ng gobyerno. Hangga’t nananatili ang kapangyarihan sa kamay ng iilang mayayaman at dinastiya, mananatiling mitsa ang galit ng masa.

 

Patuloy kaming naninindigan sa ipinaglalaban ng mga kabataan, manggagawa, at maralita laban sa kahirapan at korapsyon! Repormang pampultika at panlipunan na babaklas sa dominasyon ng mga pulitiko at kapitalista ang sagot sa problema ng katiwalian at kahirapan.

The rightful place for the corrupt is prison, not government

Sending corrupt officials to jail is the justice that everyone seeks on September 21. From the People Power Monument, Luneta, and other cities nationwide: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! JAIL THEM NOW! is the resounding cry.

 

The Partido Manggagawa (PM) is participating today in the Trillion Peso March at the People Power Monument, together with Church leaders, the Simbahan at Komunidad Laban sa Katiwalian (SIKLAB), and many other organizations.

 

Over ₱1 trillion in funds for flood control projects from 2016 to 2025 has been swept away by anomalies – ghost projects, “manananggal” (half-done or left unfinished), and most, if not all, were substandard. This is because many thieving hands took their shares: congressmen, senators, contractors, and syndicates within the DPWH bureaucracy. Even the eyes of the COA were blinded. Many cases have already been exposed across the country, and surely more will be uncovered in the coming days.

 

This is high level corruption, but the explanation goes beyond the issue of flood control projects. The joy of stealing may be dismissed as a personal flaw – and some say that mere repentance for sin is enough. Alan Cayetano is wrong here. Corruption is a crime under the law, and the proper place for them is prison, not the confessional.

 

Corruption is also a system. It is tied to the issues of control and power – stealing in order to stay in power, and vice versa. This is where the impunity of government officials springs from. When political power and wealth – now embodied by political dynasties – are claimed as the private property of a few families for life, corruption develops into a system and the practice normalized.

 

It is reform, not repentance, that can change this system. We need real democracy, not traditional politics.

 

Thus, aside from demanding jail terms for the corrupt, workers also fight not only for wage increases but also for increased budgets and quality public services – not temporary aid, but universal social protection that is adequate and accessible for everyone. This is where our billions in taxes must go.

 

We campaign not only for  workers’ security of tenure but also for the regularization of all mechanisms of transparency, such as the Freedom of Information (FOI) and citizen participation in decision-making at all levels of governance.

 

We demand not only for independence and workers freedom of association but also for an independent body to go after corrupt officials.

 

In politics, we fight for the passage of an anti-political dynasty law, reforms in the party-list system, and other reforms that will dismantle the trapo (traditional politician) and corporate dominance of our electoral system.

 

This is where the workers’ struggle differs from the empty cry of a certified trapo, Chavit Singson, for a so-called “revolution against corruption.” ###

 

Beyond change of guards in Congress: The country needs deeper governance and political reforms

 

Even if today’s lawmakers—including Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero and House Speaker Martin Romualdez - and more from the list of implicated persons in DPWH’s flood control project scam — step down from their posts, their lives will remain secured by wealth, privilege, and political networks. In sharp contrast, millions of Filipino workers continue to live struggling under low wages, contractual employment, poor public services, and weak social protections.

 

“This glaring divide shows why cosmetic changes in leadership, even at the highest levels, are not enough,” said Partido Manggagawa Chair Renato Magtubo.

 

“Beyond sending incorrigible crooks in government to jail, the country needs deeper governance and political reforms that dismantle elite domination and put the real majority - workers, farmers, and ordinary citizens at the center of decision-making,” he added.

 

Among the reforms urgently needed are:

               •             An anti-dynasty law and campaign finance reform to break the stranglehold of political families and corporate capture;

               •             Stronger labor rights to ensure living wages, job security, full employment, and the right to organize;

               •             Transparent and accountable governance to stop corruption and misuse of public funds;

               •             Inclusive policy-making mechanisms that amplify the voices of workers and other marginalized groups;

               •             Progressive taxation, including wealth tax, to fund universal social protection, and sustainable jobs.

 

“These reforms are not just about changing politicians,” the group added. “They are about changing the system so that public service means serving the people, not protecting elite interests.”

 

PM is joining the Simbahan at Komunidad Laban sa Katiwalian for the Trillion Peso March on September 21 at the People Power Monument. ###

PM joining the anti-corruption mass and action at Edsa Shrine

Buwis Namin, Huwag Nakawin!

 

Workers pay the price of corruption. Much of government revenues come directly from income taxes of workers and value-added tax (VAT) from consumers, the majority of whom are workers. Yet, instead of being returned to us in the form of quality public service, our hard-earned money is stolen by corrupt politicians, contractors, and syndicates in the bureaucracy like DPWH.

 

“Buwis namin, Huwag Nakawin!” is our battle cry.

 

Corruption does not only enrich the few—it creates obscene wealth for contractors, politicians, and bureaucrats while leaving workers and the poor with broken roads and dikes, collapsed bridges, and unfinished projects. Corruption kills. Ghost projects and substandard infrastructure cost lives and livelihoods.

 

Unchecked corruption breeds impunity, as seen in the Marcos dictatorship’s billions in ill-gotten wealth—an era whose shadow still haunts us today, on his birthday. Fraud unchecked strengthens political dynasties, fattens entrenched elites in Congress and local government, and perpetuates inequality in our society.

 

The working people deserve justice. To have that, the government needs total cleansing of corruption in public service and infrastructure projects, as well as in politics. Heads must roll! We also need political reforms to break dynasties, dismantle patronage politics, and strengthen accountability.

 

We acknowledge, though, that more action by workers, the youth and the majority of people to resist and expose corruption is needed, because if we remain silent, they will continue to steal our future.

 

The wealth of the nation comes from the sweat of workers. We will not allow our labor, our taxes, and our lives to be sacrificed on the altar of corruption.

 

Buwis namin, huwag nakawin!