Ilonggos mark martial law anniversary with anti-corruption protest

ILOILO CITY — Ilonggos gathered beneath the Infante Flyover in front of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) City Campus on Sept. 21 to mark 54 years since Proclamation No. 1081, dated Sept. 21, 1972, placed the country under martial law.

The mobilization also came one year after the Sept. 21, 2025, nationwide anti-corruption protests, which drew thousands of participants in Iloilo City and demonstrations in other parts of the country.

Kahublagan Kontra Kurapsyon (KKK) and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Panay led the Iloilo mobilization, calling for government accountability over alleged corruption.

The groups particularly criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, whom protesters referred to as the “King and Queen of Corruption.”

‘Ganito kami noon, ganyan pa rin ngayon’

The groups said that 54 years after the declaration of martial law, a member of the Marcos family again holds the presidency, while many Filipinos continue to face hardships they attributed to systemic problems that have persisted across administrations.

Protesters drew parallels between the administration of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and the current Marcos Jr. administration, raising concerns over what they described as continuing systemic corruption, human rights violations, and anti-poor policies that prioritize big businesses and foreign corporations over ordinary Filipinos.

Mario Andon of the United Labor Alliance highlighted the struggles of workers who continue to earn meager wages while facing an economic crisis compounded, he said, by the privatization of basic commodities such as electricity and water.

Benjamin Fuentespina of Pamatan-on Kontra Kurapsyon (PAKK) echoed these concerns, emphasizing their impact on the youth.

He pointed to the inaccessibility of education despite what the Marcos administration has described as a “historic” budget allocation for the education sector.

Fuentespina said the problem extends beyond inadequate education funding, arguing that young people are increasingly treated as commodities under neoliberal policies while public resources are diverted through corruption.

Collective memory, collective struggle

Martial law survivor and human rights worker Leeboy Garachico underscored the importance of resistance as a form of remembrance.

Garachico called on the public not only to remember what he described as atrocities committed during martial law but also to critically examine and resist current policies that protesters believe continue to harm ordinary Filipinos.

He said the lessons of martial law should not be confined to sanitized or “whitewashed” accounts of history.

Instead, he urged the public to use those lessons as a foundation for advancing broader people’s movements and struggles for social change.

‘Never again to corruption’

Following the program, protesters marched toward the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas in Iloilo City to seek a dialogue and request an update on complaints previously filed over government projects that the groups alleged were environmentally damaging, substandard, or “ghost” projects.

Amlig Antique Alliance, together with KKK and private complainants, filed five criminal and administrative complaints on July 16 involving alleged irregularities in infrastructure projects in Antique worth about PHP 7.3 billion.

Three additional complaints were filed Aug. 7 involving projects worth a combined PHP 670.1 million, bringing the total number of complaints to eight.

The complaints contain allegations against government officials, contractors, and other respondents over alleged violations of procurement, environmental, anti-graft, and other laws; the filing of a complaint does not by itself establish wrongdoing.

Raoul Manuel of KKK said the complaints are now under the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas, with the groups determining their next steps.

After nearly 30 minutes of waiting outside the Ombudsman office, representatives of the protesting groups, accompanied by members of the media, were allowed to enter.

As of press time, the Ombudsman had not commented on the protesters’ follow-up request.

The protest ended with a message that the push for accountability, justice, and social change does not end with a single mobilization.

Protesters said such changes can take years or decades, but sustained organizing and collective action can keep their demands in public view.