Wave of protests mounted in Central Luzon vs flood control corruption
CITY OF MALOLOS—Church leaders, students, and civic groups mounted a series of coordinated protests in Central Luzon provinces this week to denounce alleged multibillion-peso anomalies in flood control projects, saying corruption has deepened flooding and drained resources from vital social services.
The protests in Bulacan and Pampanga are expected to expand with planned rallies on Sept. 21 in Cebu, Bohol and Bacolod City in Negros Occidental in the Visayas; and in Davao and Cagayan de Oro cities in Mindanao.
In Pampanga, church bells tolled for 20 minutes across 94 parishes of the Archdiocese of San Fernando on Wednesday night as a symbolic act of solidarity.
Archbishop Florentino Lavarias, in a circular later posted on the archdiocese’s Facebook page, described the tolling as “pastoral support [to] the current clamor for transparency, accountability, and justice regarding graft and corruption surrounding flood control projects and other plunder cases.”
The action coincided with a noise barrage organized by the Concerned Citizens of Pampanga.
The following day, some 6,000 residents braved heavy rains to rally at the grounds of the Metropolitan Cathedral in San Fernando, many carrying placards condemning corruption.
Some demonstrators singled out former Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales and his family’s construction firm, which built a failed flood structure in Arayat.
Priests, civic leaders, and farmers speaking at the rally called corruption a “betrayal of the people,” urging Kapampangan to sustain the pressure until the guilty are jailed.
On Thursday morning, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan–Central Luzon (Bayan-CL) also staged a picket at the regional Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) office, symbolically throwing mud at its gate while denouncing collapsed, overpriced, and repeatedly funded projects. “Projects that were supposed to protect the people have instead become instruments of greed and disaster,” Bayan-CL said in a statement.
In Bulacan, twin actions unfolded on Friday, with students of Bulacan State University (BulSU) joining members of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, Gabriela, and other groups in a protest at the DPWH First District Engineering Office in Malolos.
About 50 protesters briefly occupied two northbound lanes of MacArthur Highway, waving placards reading “Isoli ang ninakaw (Return what was stolen)” and “DPWH Korap,” while motorists honked in support.
Mud hurled
At the height of the rally, mud was hurled at a tarpaulin bearing the images of President Marcos and former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
In the afternoon, the Bulacan Ecumenical Forum and Ecumenical Bishops Forum led parishioners, students, and farmers in a unity walk from Barasoain Church to the Provincial Capitol’s Forest Park in Guinhawa.
Despite rain showers, participants pressed on, carrying messages against corruption. The interfaith program featured statements from multisectoral leaders and was set to conclude at 5 p.m.
Malolos Bishop Dennis Villarojo, who earlier condemned “fake and substandard” projects that worsened floods, reiterated that public office is a “sacred duty, not a business.” He called for cooperation in ongoing probes into ghost projects and urged the government to adopt long-term solutions to the province’s perennial flood crisis.
The Bulacan mobilizations are part of a three-day campaign dubbed “Siklab: Simbahang Kaisa sa Laban ng Bayan para sa Katwiran at Katarungan.”
On Saturday, Hagonoy residents will stage a “Tindig Hagonoy Motorcade,” while Calumpit parishioners will gather Sunday for a “Black Sunday” prayer rally at the town market.
BulSU students also vowed to push through with a campus walkout despite the administration’s shift to online classes, saying their school must take a stand.
