Anti-Corruption: The First Wave—And the Road to November 30

A clear look at how a citizens’ anti-corruption movement began, grew, and now approaches a defining moment.

The first wave started long before anyone called it a “movement.” It began when church leaders and civil-society groups finally said what many people were already thinking. They were the first to make the call. Then groups on the ground—like Taumbayan Ayaw sa Magnanakaw at Abusado Network Alliance (TAMA NA)—picked it up and began shaping it into something bigger.

From there, the circle widened fast. Student organizations joined. Labor unions stepped in. Youth groups, faith communities, civic alliances, even political coalitions—each one adding their own weight until September 21, 2025, no longer felt like an ordinary day on the calendar.

Why that date?

Because September 21 carries a shadow. It’s the anniversary of Martial Law—a day remembered not for silence, but for what silence cost. Choosing that day wasn’t random—it was symbolic. A reminder that accountability loses its value when people wait too long to demand it.

The reason behind the call was clear: alleged massive corruption in infrastructure and flood-control projects—misused funds, ghost projects, and billions that never made sense. People weren’t chasing shallow fuss or empty drama—they were chasing answers. And the more those answers stayed hidden, the more the movement pressed forward.

It didn’t grow because one person led it. It grew because nobody could keep pretending the questions were small.

By the time the gatherings in EDSA People Power Monument ended on September 21, the first wave had done its job. It proved that frustration wasn’t isolated. It showed that ordinary people, spread across different groups, could still move in the same direction without waiting for a central figure to tell them what to do.

That’s why November 30, 2025 exists. Not as a replay, not as a louder version of the same cry—but as the continuation. And the date carries its own weight. November 30 is Bonifacio Day—a reminder of the kind of bravery that refuses silence, the kind that steps forward even when it’s risky. The next half of a conversation that September started. The moment where whispers sharpen into a clear request for something concrete—answers, accountability, even just one visible step toward setting things right.

On November 30, people are set to gather again at the EDSA People Power Monument, hoping that this second wave brings something more solid than silence.

If something real finally happens on November 30, then that’s where the true turning point begins.

And after that, the line stays blank—waiting for whatever comes next.

Imprison. Return. Reveal. Hurry.

⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ

Luneta and EDSA Roar: People Power Rises Again

History stirs when silence breaks—today’s crowds prove power still lives in the streets.

Sunday, 21 September 2025

Today, the streets spoke. At Luneta (Rizal Park), the protest called “Baha sa Luneta: Aksyon na Laban sa Korapsyon” flooded the park with people. Police said 49,000, organizers claimed 80,000—either way, it was a sea of students, retirees, church leaders, and civic groups refusing to stay quiet.

At the EDSA People Power Monument, the “Trillion Peso March” gathered about 3,500 in white, demanding answers on flood control funds gone missing. Some voices went further, calling for the President himself to step down.

Most of the day stayed peaceful, though 17 were arrested near Malacañang after clashes with police. Airspace over Luneta and EDSA was locked down. By afternoon, Luneta groups were already moving toward Mendiola, carrying the anger closer to power.

Luneta and EDSA weren’t random choices—they’re symbols, ghosts of history reminding us that people power doesn’t die, it waits.

What Might Come Next

• Investigations will go deeper—Senate hearings, Ombudsman probes, audits that could expose more dirt.

• Government may react with promises of reform, new oversight, or just tighter control.

• Officials under fire could be forced to answer, resign, or face trial.

• Budgets may be frozen or redirected while flood control projects fall under heavy scrutiny.

• Momentum could spill into more protests, louder online movements, and wider calls for change.

What Might Go Wrong

• The investigations might stall and end up as another cycle of hearings without results.

• Promised reforms could stay as words on paper with no real change on the ground.

• Corrupt officials might escape accountability, dragging the issue until the public moves on.

• The energy of today’s protest could fade without follow-through, turning a historic show of strength into just memory.

• The moment may be co-opted by politics, where noise replaces genuine reform.

What happened at Luneta and EDSA today is more than just a protest. It’s a reminder that corruption will always spark resistance, and that the spirit of people power is never truly silent.

The challenge now is whether this energy can be turned into lasting change—or if it will fade into another moment lost to history.

ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ