Malacañang stressed that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. respects the right of every Filipino to free speech and to take action against corruption.
This comes ahead of a massive protest set on September 21 (Sunday), which aims to condemn widespread corruption, particularly in the government’s flood control projects.
According to Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro, the President is prepared to support the protest as long as it remains peaceful and does not turn violent.
“The President will always respect this freedom of expression. So, kung anuman po ang nararamdaman na sentimyento ng ating mga kababayan sa ngayon, iyan po ay ginagalang ng Pangulo,” Castro said.
She added that such actions are proof that Filipinos are now awake and ready to confront large-scale and systemic plunder of public funds—though the Palace hopes the protest will not be exploited by politicians for their own agenda.
“Ang dasal lamang po natin, itong kanilang pagsisentimyento ay huwag sanang sakyan ng ibang mga tao na hindi maganda ang naisin para sa gobyerno, kundi mag-destabilize,” Castro emphasized.
On Friday, September 12, the Church Leaders Council for National Transformation announced its call for a mass protest at Luneta Park in Manila on September 21, dubbed “A Trillion Peso March”, to collectively denounce corruption in government.
President Marcos has already created the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) through Executive Order No. 94 to further investigate anomalies in flood control projects.