Groups vow bigger rally vs corruption on November 30

MANILA, Philippines — Various organizations that participated in the Sept. 21 “Baha sa Luneta” rally are preparing for a larger protest on Nov. 30 to denounce what they described as the government’s slow and selective prosecution of corrupt officials involved in anomalous flood control projects.

At a meeting on Oct. 25, the Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot (KBKK) said it would intensify protest actions leading up to the Nov. 30 mobilization.

The group announced that its next “Black Friday Protest” on Oct. 31 will carry a Halloween theme dubbed “Ghostbuster Protest” along Mendiola Bridge.

The Concerned Artists of the Philippines will stage an anti-corruption protest titled “Ghost Projects: The Exorcism” in Quezon City.

Weekly Black Friday protests are also set on Nov. 7, 14, 21 and 28 in different areas.

On Nov. 14, a coalition called Working People Against Corruption, composed of labor unions and groups including BPO and entertainment industry workers, will hold a protest against corruption.

The KBKK said student walkouts, lunch-hour protests and sit-down strikes by workers from both public and private sectors are also being organized in the run-up to the major protest on Nov. 30.

The group added that several sectors are considering launching a “tax defiance” campaign to demand accountability and reforms in governance, including the removal of the value-added tax on petroleum products and public utilities.