Religious and civil society groups plan June 28 rally at EDSA monument calling for anti-corruption measures and electoral reforms

Religious and civil society leaders announced on June 19 that they will hold a faith-based anti-corruption rally on June 28 at the EDSA People Power Monument in Quezon City. The demonstration, named the “White Ribbon Movement,” is organized by the Inter-Religious Leaders Council for National Transformation.

The coalition is calling for an end to corruption, the passage of an anti-political dynasty law, and the implementation of electoral reforms.

“When corruption becomes normalized, the nation’s moral compass is damaged and the weak are burdened, while the powerful escape accountability. Corruption is not only a crime, it is a betrayal of trust,” Kidapawan Bishop Colin Bagaforo, CBCP episcopal chairman, told a press conference on Friday, June 19. “This is not about political colors.

Rather, our call is for truth, accountability, justice, and righteousness to prevail in our nation,” Bishop Efraim Tendero of the World Evangelical Alliance added in Filipino. The mobilization seeks to build on the momentum of the Trillion Peso March last year, triggered by the flood control corruption scandal, which potentially involves billions of pesos in stolen public funds.

The group believes previous rallies had pressured the government to act, citing the creation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, developments in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, and the resignation of other officials accused of corruption.

Some key actors in the public works scam are now behind bars, including Senator Jinggoy Estrada, former senator Bong Revilla, and contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya, but others, such as former congressman Zaldy Co, remain at large or have yet to be charged in court.