Progressive groups in Davao to Marcos, VP Sara: Resign
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 22 November) – Progressive groups called for the resignation of government officials, including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, following their alleged involvement in corruption that has drawn widespread criticisms and protests in recent months.
During a “Black Friday protest” at the Freedom Park along Roxas Avenue, Rauf Sissay, secretariat member of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)-Southern Mindanao Region, believed the country’s two highest officials, as well as several senators, members of the House of Representatives, and other government officials, benefited from the large-scale misuse of public funds.
Sissay made the statement following the allegations by former Ako Bicol Party-list representative Zaldy Co that P100 billion was inserted into the 2025 national budget, which purportedly involved Marcos and former Speaker Martin G. Romualdez.
“One of the key demands is the call for President Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte to resign, because we believe that both of them are equally involved in the major corruption allegations,” he said.
Pillar Barredo, secretary general of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)-Davao region, alleged that Duterte was involved in the misuse of confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure as secretary
Duterte resigned as DepEd secretary on 19 June 19 2024, amid a growing conflict with Marcos.
Barredo lamented that the stolen public funds could have built more classrooms for schoolchildren.
She also urged Dabawenyos to “wake up” and end patronage politics or voting for members of the same family to key government positions.
She said ordinary people ultimately bear the consequences of patronage politics.
“If possible, the people of Davao City should also wake up. Don’t be blind. Why do you keep supporting the Dutertes when you don’t even know where their wealth comes from or what they are doing? They exploit our weaknesses to strengthen their businesses through the government positions they hold,” she added.
Around 20 protesters from Kilusang Mayo Uno, BAYAN-Southern Mindanao Region, Anakbayan, Kadamay, and ACT-Davao Region, voiced their demands and denounced widespread corruption in government, demanding accountability from corrupt government officials.
Sissay said that corrupt officials “should also be prosecuted, charged, and punished so that our government in the Philippines can truly be cleansed.”
While the groups acknowledged the efforts undertaken by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), Sissay believed that the fact-finding body lacks the authority to prosecute corrupt public officials, as its mandate is limited to conducting investigations and issuing recommendations.
“The ICI merely recommends cases, leaving it to the courts and the Ombudsman to decide whether to pursue them or not. As of now, we find its actions and recommendations insufficient,” he said.
He added that they “do not have high expectations of the ICI, since there are allegations that some of its members have ties to politicians and other questionable connections.”
Last 5 November, ICI special adviser Rodolfo Azurin led the inspection of a flood control project along the Davao River, where a pedestrian bridge used by residents collapsed last year, and the road slope protection structure, which included a rockfall netting project at Junction Shrine Hills along Diversion Road in Barangay Matina Crossing.
He said the two major infrastructure projects in Davao were included in the list of 421 questionable projects that the Department of Public Works and Highways submitted to ICI for investigation. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
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