By Erika Mae P. Sinaking, Reporter
CIVIL SOCIETY, religious and youth groups are set to return to the streets of Manila on Monday, a year after the Trillion Peso March, to press for the prosecution of officials implicated in anomalous flood control projects.
The demonstrations, which coincide with the 54th anniversary of the declaration of martial law, could show whether public anger over the scandal remains strong as criminal cases against some of those implicated move forward.
“It ultimately comes down to the speed of the process,” Anthony Lawrence A. Borja, an associate professor of political science at De La Salle University, told BusinessWorld via Facebook Messenger. “For members of the public, such an issue warrants swift action rather than slow proceedings, which only reinforce the perception that justice moves slowly for the powerful.”
“If it is as numerous as the previous mass protest, then we can say that the public’s fury over the matter is still a credible threat to the legitimacy of the current administration. If not, then we can say that discontent has subsided into powerless silence, entailing a decrease in pressure,” he added.
August Twenty-One Movement President Voltaire Bohol said the group would continue pressing for those implicated in the scandal to be held accountable.
“Our calls remain the same. Jail all the corrupt,” he told BusinessWorld in a Viber message.
He said the group would continue its campaign against former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and would also commemorate the declaration of martial law.
“This is going to be a long fight,” Mr. Bohol said. “But we should not allow the Romualdez case to drag on until people lose interest and he is eventually acquitted, like Imelda. Unless this ends differently, we will remain skeptical of Marcos, Jr.,” he said.
He was referring to the Supreme Court’s decision made public on Sept. 9 overturning the Sandiganbayan’s 2018 conviction of former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos on seven counts of graft involving Swiss foundations. The court ruled that prosecutors failed to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Mr. Romualdez, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s cousin and the representative of Leyte’s first district, resigned as Speaker last year amid investigations into irregularities in flood control projects.
His case moved to trial this year after he pleaded not guilty on Sept. 16 to a P7.4-billion plunder charge before the Sandiganbayan. He remains detained at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas.
David Michael M. San Juan, convenor of Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot, said the group expects about 10,000 people at Monday’s demonstration.
“We expect around 10,000 people to join the rally at Liwasang Bonifacio at 3 p.m. on Monday led by Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot,” he said via Messenger. Before the rally, at 1 p.m., the group will attend a mass at San Agustin Church, Intramuros before marching to Liwasang Bonifacio.
ARRESTS ‘NOT ENOUGH’The mobilization comes a year after demonstrations at Rizal Park and the EDSA People Power Monument drew protesters angered by “ghost” and substandard flood control projects. The Sept. 21, 2025 demonstrations coincided with the 53rd anniversary of the declaration of martial law.
The protests continued with subsequent mobilizations in November 2025 and February 2026.
About a thousand students and youth activists also marched from De La Salle Greenhills to the EDSA Shrine on Sunday to commemorate martial law and demand accountability for corruption.
“Arrests and the filing of cases are not enough,” Akbayan Youth National Chairperson Khylla Meneses said in a statement. “We must see this fight through, hold all corrupt officials accountable, recover every peso stolen from the people and dismantle the system that enriches a few while making life harder for the majority.”
The youth groups also sought accountability from fugitive former Party-list Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” S. Co, who resigned amid allegations linking him to kickbacks from flood control projects.
In a video released in November 2025, Mr. Co alleged that Mr. Marcos and Mr. Romualdez had ordered budget insertions during the bicameral conference for the 2025 national budget. Malacañang has rejected his allegations.
The protesters also called for the arrest of Senator Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa, who is wanted under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.
The ICC unsealed the warrant on May 11 after initially issuing it under seal on Nov. 6, 2025. The court alleges that Mr. dela Rosa bears criminal responsibility as an indirect co-perpetrator for the crime against humanity of murder involving at least 32 people from July 2016 through April 2018. He remains at large.
The groups also called for the conviction of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio in her impeachment trial and the passage of an anti-political dynasty law.
The Supreme Court ruled in August that Congress has a mandatory constitutional duty to enact a law defining and prohibiting political dynasties, after finding that lawmakers’ 39-year failure to do so violated their constitutional duty.
Ms. Meneses cautioned against using the anti-corruption campaign to insulate the Marcos family from criticism.
“While we hold everyone involved in the flood control corruption scandal accountable, we continue to hold the Marcos family accountable for their wrongdoing,” she said. “We will not allow them to turn our call for accountability into their political deodorizer, or use it to legitimize their stolen wealth.”
Malacañang has urged participants in the Sept. 21 demonstrations to remain peaceful and orderly. Police have also stepped up preparations for rallies marking the martial law anniversary.