Progressive bloc Akbayan slammed alleged efforts of pro-Duterte groups to “hijack” Sunday’s massive anti-corruption protests by calling for the ouster of President Marcos Jr. to advance an alleged self-serving political agenda.

The three-member Akbayan in the House of Representatives, among the progressive lawmakers who took part in the “Trillion Peso March” at the People Power Monument in EDSA, lamented that Duterte supporters are exploiting the mass movement by pushing for Marcos’ removal from office, suggesting the ushering of Vice President Sara Duterte into the country’s top post.

“The call to convert the 21 September demonstrations into a ‘Marcos ouster’ protest is mainly a Duterte ploy to hijack the people’s outrage and use it to return themselves to power,” Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña emphasized.

“Who are they to dictate the course of the people’s mass movement? For what? To bring them back to the highest levels of power? What are they, delusional?” he added.

The widespread protests were triggered by the alleged large-scale corruption linked to bogus flood control projects involving members of Congress and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials.

Furious protesters trooped to EDSA and Rizal Park in Manila to call for transparency and demand accountability among public officials involved in the largest scandal unearthed under the Marcos administration.

The mobilization also coincided with the 53rd anniversary of martial law imposed by Marcos’ father and namesake, the late ex-president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Cendaña said that while President Marcos is not exempt from public scrutiny, the alleged attempt of pro-Duterte groups to turn the movement into a political grab defeats the protests’ intent.

He argued that the public should not be pawns in a dynastic tug-of-war involving the two camps “seeking to replace another.”

“We are against all forms of corruption, whether they are attributed to the Dutertes or the Marcoses. Our tactical and strategic calls are grounded in political realities,” the lawmaker averred.

Akbayan Rep. Dadah Ismula stressed that the ongoing investigation into the flood control anomalies should not be limited to Luzon but should also cover Mindanao, particularly Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte’s district, which received a whopping P51 billion worth of infrastructure projects in only three years.

Duterte confirmed receiving P51 billion from 2020 to 2022, the last three years of his father, former president Rodrigo Duterte’s term, but shrugged off imputations that the projects are ghosts or non-existent.

The Davao solon claimed that the projects in question are built on solid ground and can be utilized by his constituents.

The Independent Commission on Infrastructure, formed to probe flood control and infrastructure projects within the last 10 years, kicked off the investigation last week.

However, Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno said the probe must be openly accessible to the public, similar to congressional hearings, to uphold transparency.

He emphasized the need to hold erring officials and their cohorts accountable, asserting that the billions lost to bogus flood control must be returned to the public.

Akbayan, along with minority solons, aims to expand the ICI’s power by giving it contempt and subpoena powers in a bid to strengthen the investigation and uphold the body’s independence.

The proposal is under House Bill 4453, which they want the President to certify as urgent.