Marcos appeals for calm ahead of Bonifacio Day protests

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appealed to demonstrators planning to join Bonifacio Day protests on 30 November to keep their actions peaceful, warning against violence that could endanger both protesters and law enforcement personnel.

Marcos said the planned mass action is “not a cause for concern” but stressed that authorities will remain vigilant against agitators who might attempt to sow chaos.

“The only concern I have when we have demonstrations for whatever reason is that there are agitators who will go and try to cause trouble,” the President said.

“What demonstrator goes to a demonstration with Molotov cocktails that are not intending to cause trouble or to hurt people? Those are the people that we are worried about. And those are the people that we are watching out for,” he added.

Marcos urged the public to avoid violence, reminding them that such actions often result in unnecessary injuries.

“Remove that from your mind. You will cause trouble, and nothing will come of it. Someone will just get hurt. Sometimes, even your fellow protesters get injured. The police, they have nothing to do with it,” he said in Filipino.

Various groups have announced plans to organize rallies to protest corruption and alleged irregularities in government infrastructure projects, particularly flood-control programs.

While calling for peace, Marcos acknowledged the people’s anger over recent corruption scandals.

“The reasons for people’s outrage, that’s understandable because of corruption being discovered in connection with the implementation of government flood-control projects,” he said. “Those funds are supposed to go to the people to feed them and to make their lives better.”

Authorities remained cautious following the 21 September rally in Mendiola, where some masked protesters hurled rocks, sewage, and Molotov explosives at police officers, leaving several people injured. Most of the other demonstrations that day, however, were peaceful.

The President has repeatedly emphasized transparency and accountability in public spending. In his fourth State of the Nation Address, he denounced anomalous infrastructure projects, telling those responsible, “Mahiya naman kayo.”

Following that, the Chief Executive launched the Sumbong sa Pangulo website, a platform where citizens can directly report substandard, incomplete, or non-existent government projects in their areas.

Several reports received through the platform have already been personally verified by the President, confirming cases of poorly built or entirely missing infrastructure projects.

As Bonifacio Day approaches, Marcos said he respects the public’s right to air grievances but underscored that protests must not come at the expense of peace and safety.