Student leaders hit corrupt pols, dynasties

MANILA, Philippines — Denouncing corrupt politicians and political dynasties, student leaders yesterday vowed to hold mobilizations as the country commemorates the 40th anniversary of the EDSA people power revolution.

“We have had enough of politicians posturing as saviors of a system they themselves have broken. Corruption has become normalized in our daily lives because those in power refuse to serve the people they claim to represent,” said National Union of Students of the Philippines national president Iya Trinidad.

Public office, she noted, has been turned into a business that makes politicians richer while millions of Filipinos are denied basic social services, subjected to rights abuses and trapped in a system designed to keep people powerless.

“We call on our fellow student leaders and youth to further register our calls against corruption and political dynasties in the 40th commemoration of the EDSA people power revolt and beyond,” Trinidad said.

The struggle for genuine change cannot be postponed until election season, she stressed.

“It must begin now – in our campuses, communities and every day spaces of influence,” she said.

“We refuse to inherit a country governed by impunity and patronage. We reject corrupt officials and political dynasties. The youth are determined to dismantle this broken system through collective action and militant resistance,” Trinidad asserted.