Senator Risa Hontiveros and former Magdalo Partylist Rep. Gary Alejano at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City on Friday.*CPG photo
Senator Risa Hontiveros called on the public, especially the youth, to join the nationwide rallies against corruption on Sunday, September 21.
“Let us get involved in this very important battle…we should never give up hope…we must fight for a better future,” Hontiveros said at a press conference in Bacolod City on Friday.
Their latest headcount is about 10,000 Negrenses are expected to join the “Trillion Peso March” against corruption rally in front of the Bacolod City Government Center replica at the Bacolod City Public Plaza at 2 p.m. Sunday, Fr. Aniceto “Mao Buenafe” of the One Negros Ecumenical Council, said on Friday.
They are urging those joining the rally to come in white and for citizens to hang white ribbons in front of their homes and on vehicles, which symbolize purity, justice, and unity, he said.
“We’ve had enough of corruption, enough is enough, jail the corrupt,” the rally organizers said.
“Let us not accept this long, deep-seated, and severe problem of corruption, whether in flood control projects at the present or in the past,” Hontiveros said.
Hontiveros said she understands the skepticism of some on the outcome of the current investigations against corruption.
But “I believe on the part of the Senate, I can say with all confidence that the Blue Ribbon committee is serious in bringing this as far as possible,” she said.
That is also what she expects of the tri-com investigation in the Lower House and from the Independent Commission on Infrastructure, she added.
They will “complementarily expose corruption and bring all those accountable to justice,” Hontiveros said.
“This means not just the contractors, corrupt Department of Public Works and Highways officials and employees but also any legislator proven to be complicit,” she said.
“We should see people jailed, this issue of corruption on the flood control projects has been blown so wide open, it cannot be put back in a bottle and closed,” Hontiveros said.
“We can feel the anger and the demand of the people for the truth and justice,” she said.
Hontiveros also said it is significant that the protest against corruption is being held on the 53rd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.*