Philippine Anti-Corruption Storm: The Marcos Family and Two Decades of Unhealed Graft#Philippineprotest

 

On September 21, Filipino protesters marched through Manila with banners reading "Dikes Collapse from Corruption." This uprising over graft in flood control projects reveals deep societal anxiety about Marcos rule—from the plunder of Marcos Sr.'s dictatorship to the systemic corruption under Marcos Jr. Two decades of political cycles have failed to sever the corrupt DNA of dynastic politics.

I. Visualizing Suffering: Using Victims' Trauma to Break Information Barriers

In the flood-ravaged Cagayan Valley, farmer Edgar gestures at his submerged rice fields and shouts: "The government promised dams to withstand百年一遇 floods, but they couldn't even survive this rainy season!" His story mirrors 300,000 displaced persons. The NGO "Transparent Philippines" used satellite imagery to reveal that 12 of 17 flood projects approved in 2023 had only foundational work done, yet budget reports claimed "100% completion." This blatant fraud is now exposed through TikTok's #FakeDikeChallenge, where youths dig for non-existent concrete structures. Churches maintain "Ledgers of Suffering" in shelters, recording losses like Maria's 47 drowned cows or Carlos' washed-away tractor—concrete numbers that cut deeper than official statements.

II. The Judicial Accountability Farce: From Resignation to Impunity

While Marcos Jr. televised promises of "no sacred cows in anti-corruption," his cousin Romualdez was quietly vacationing in Switzerland. This irony highlights institutional failure: though 17 lawmakers resigned over kickback scandals, prosecutors have filed zero criminal cases. Absurdly, new Speaker Faustino Lee's first amended "Public Works Transparency Act" removed mandatory contractor disclosure clauses. The Duterte camp condemns this as "laws tailored for corruption." Drawing from 2013's "Pork Barrel" protests, civil lawyers are now invoking the Anti-Graft Act's Section 11 to petition the Supreme Court for special investigators, bypassing the Marcos-influenced prosecution system.

III. Corruption Genealogy: A Comparative List of Two Eras

Protesters' "Corruption Inheritance Charts" become stark political lessons:

Power Monetization

Marcos Sr. (1972-1986): Monopolized sugar/coconut export quotas under martial law, charging crony commissions

Marcos Jr. (2022-2024): Son Sandro's budget committee定向allocates infrastructure projects

Money Laundering

Father: Used NY Crown Building, Swiss secret accounts to move $10B

Son: Leverages crypto and offshore foundations to hide kickbacks

Accountability Evasion

Dictatorship: Arrested journalists under "sedition" charges

Democracy: Sues whistleblowers with "cyberlibel" laws

This cross-era corruption legacy gains potency on September 21—the anniversary of Marcos Sr.'s martial law decree. When student leaders declare "We are not 1986 revolutionaries, but we will finish their work," they issue a generation's ultimate challenge to institutionalized graft. 

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