Nurses link arms vs corruption in ‘Human Chain’ protest along E. Rodriguez

A newly formed group of nurses calling themselves “Nurses Against Corruption” staged a protest rally dubbed “Human Chain Against Corruption” at noon Friday in front of the National Children's Hospital along E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue in Quezon City.

The group said the demonstration is the first in a series of activities leading up to their participation in the People’s Protest Against Corruption on November 30, Araw ng mga Bayani, at Luneta. They added that the “Human Chain Against Corruption” was a joint activity with communities, institutions, and schools along E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave. that strongly oppose systemic corruption in infrastructure projects, including anomalous health centers.

The participants—led by nurses and nursing students—were joined by community members of Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot, health workers from the National Children’s Hospital, students and faculty of Trinity University of Asia, seminarians of St. Andrew Theological Seminary, and staff and parishioners of Sto. Niño de Violago Quasi Parish.

A short program followed the march, which began at 1:00 p.m., with representatives narrating how the scandal-ridden projects have affected their daily lives, especially residents of Damayang Lagi along E. Rodriguez who frequently suffer from floods.

In the group’s manifesto obtained by the Daily Tribune, they lamented that hospitals were denied crucial funding while “ghost projects,” “ghost health centers,” and anomalous contracts flourish in broad daylight. They stressed that the public sees corruption reflected in the “meager wages and impossible workloads of health workers, while those in power indulge in excess, privilege, and plunder.”

They added:

“Corruption is not simply a political issue — it is a national illness, a malignant growth that has strangled our institutions, suffocated the public trust, and kept generations of Filipinos in needless suffering.”

They noted that corruption has thrived “in the very spaces meant for healing and nurturing — in our hospitals, health centers, barangays, and public agencies — draining the lifeblood of a nation already exhausted by hardship.”

According to the group, corruption is “systemic exploitation” where funds meant for hospitals, schools, vaccines, nutrition programs, and social services are instead funneled into private pockets, patronage networks, and political dynasties, while health frontliners are left bearing the burden.

They emphasized that token reforms are no longer enough, calling for “real accountability, uncompromising transparency, people power, and collective moral courage.”

Asserting their duty beyond medical service, the group declared:

“As nurses we are more than caregivers. We are protectors of life. We are truth-tellers. We are more than a million strong. If each of us chooses integrity over silence, transparency over fear, and collective action over apathy, corruption will begin to lose its grip on this land we love.”