Trillion Peso March: Rage that fades?

On 21 September 2025, the Philippines witnessed a nationwide indignation rally against corruption. Organized by church groups, civil society organizations, labor unions, political coalitions, and some unwelcome undesirables, the protests responded to discovered and exposed colossal corruption in flood control projects alone that is so massive, so shameless, so brazen, so deep-rooted, and so unrepentant that it bleeds the nation dry.

Throughout the ages, corruption has been humanity’s scourge, causing governments to crumble under the wrath of their citizens. Sadly, history shows that the national indignation of Filipinos burns bright but too briefly, a loud outcry that shakes the moment yet often fades before lasting change is secured.

Filipino outrage has always been historically intense but fleeting, a fire that ignites with passion but is rarely sustained long enough to change the system.

Time and again, Filipinos rise in massive fury, but their anger loses momentum, leaving reforms unfinished. The history of national indignation in the Philippines is marked by passion with a limited shelf life, fury that blazes, then quickly dissipates.

If we recall, there were some notable moments of national upheavals that were held with great fanfare but were equally swept under in the dustbin of history:

1971: Diliman Commune protest against a three-centavo gasoline price increase.

1986: EDSA People Power Revolt against Martial Law and the assassination of Ninoy Aquino.

1987: Mendiola Massacre and agrarian reform protest.

2014: Million People March against the pork barrel.

2016: Kidapawan protest against drought aid.

Historians and political observers cite recurring reasons for the failure to secure systemic change, such as entrenched political and economic elites, bureaucratic resistance, fragmentation within movements, weak enforcement, judicial setbacks, short public memory, and the loss of leaders to time or circumstance. New issues rise, old wounds are forgotten, and the cycle repeats.

Unfortunately, Philippine history reveals that many indignation rallies and protest movements are reduced to the commemoration of anniversaries and festivals, rarely producing real and lasting change. Once the noise subsides, life quickly returns to the old normal.

The 1986 EDSA People Power uprising would have been an exception as it carved an unforgettable place in Philippine history. Its message of peaceful transformation, which echoed across the globe, was celebrated and copied by nations from Poland, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan, Czechoslovakia, and others. Yet four decades on, the promise of reform remains unfulfilled as corruption persists and in some ways may have even deepened.

In the past, to pacify the masses and patriotic marchers, a few scapegoats were sacrificed while the heart of corruption beat on, unseen yet unstoppable.

Our people have persistently shown resilience and forgiveness, but at the cost of accountability and progress.

Hopefully, the Trillion Peso March is a rage that does not fade and will leave a lasting mark as it refuses to be swept aside like so many protests before it.

Time and again, our outrage has blazed with intensity only to flicker out, leaving corruption to endure. The true test of the movement today against the syndicated theft of the people’s money is not the noise it makes nor the size of the crowds it gathers but in the persistence and discipline of vigilance to achieve real reform and accountability.

Only when indignation evolves into sustained action and institutional change can we finally break the cycle of another rage that usually fades into silence and indifference.

PBBM could stand on the right side of history if he shows unshakable determination to break the cycle and institute lasting solutions against the plundering thieves.