Marcos Jr. and Duterte represent the worst face of bureaucrat-capitalism that has long rotted the foundations of this country. They are not rivals; they are partners in plunder. Impeachment processes, inquiries, and official investigations have repeatedly proven themselves nothing more than a show meant to protect their empire of theft.
The students and the Filipino masses shall strike again. We shall take to the streets and march because we refuse to let the same tyrannical forces trample the future they have already destroyed. We shall refuse to surrender our country to leaders who have repeatedly proven unworthy of the trust and power they held.
On November 30, we shall choose resistance. We shall choose a future free from the stench of Marcos and Duterte because when their government rots from the head, the youth and the masses must cut it loose.
As we fill the streets of Iloilo this Sunday, we march with the nation in outrage of the failed leadership of Marcos-Duterte administration and the bureaucrat-capitalist plunder they are desperately enriching. While they loot national resources, funnel billions into confidential funds, and crush dissent to protect their empire of corruption, millions of ordinary people sink deeper into hunger, poverty, and floodwaters.
Yet despite the rot of corruption and impunity that fester through our government, we shall not abandon the struggle. This fight is not new; it is the same spark that lit the revolts of the 1800s, ignited the 1896 Philippine Revolution, and surged through the streets during the People Power Revolution of 1986.
Today, the enemy wears new faces but follows the same script of lies and plunder.
The Marcos Jr.-Duterte administration has perfected the art of converting public office into a marketplace. They have successfully orchestrated the perversion of the government to operate like a syndicate rather than a public institution.
From the scandals of the Marcos Jr.-Duterte “Uniteam” breakup, to Duterte’s misuse of public education funds, to billions lost in flood control projects, Zaldy Co’s exposé implicating Marcos Jr. in the 2025 budget insertion scheme, and to Imee Marcos publicly accusing her brother Bongbong of drug use—politics has been transformed into a circus. Behind all the theatrics, however, their corruption is very much real, and their failures are deadly. It kills lives, livelihoods, the economy, trust, hope and democracy itself.
Marcos Jr. has failed the Filipino people. He has shown neither competence nor vision, only an insatiable appetite for power. He presumes himself as an anti-corruption leader while sitting atop a dynasty built on stolen wealth. He refuses to take accountability on their ill-gotten wealth, choosing instead to deploy state forces and propaganda to silence critics than to answer the people’s demand for truth. His presidency is nothing more than a revival of the same legacy of plunder and repression that the Filipino people fought to dismantle under his dictator father’s helm.
Three years since Marcos Jr., assumed presidency, billions in infrastructure projects funds lie wasted. Many of these have been flagged as “ghost projects,” substandard constructions, or even non-existent. These failures cannot be abstracted away as simple mismanagement: for a country ravaged annually by typhoons, floods, and other natural hazards, substandard infrastructures are a death sentence for the poor. This is bureaucrat-capitalism at its most vicious: turning infrastructure projects into easy access to bloat their pockets.
Sara Duterte is no different. Cloaked behind choreographed silence and manufactured victimhood amplified by their network of troll farms and propaganda machinery, she has perfected the art of underperforming and exploiting public office for personal gain. The scandal of confidential funds is only the beginning of the long trail of corruption she must answer for.
Lest we forget, Duterte brazenly burned P125 million in just 11 days, a malformed monument to bureaucrat-capitalist greed. The impeachment complaints filed against her laid bare an even disturbing chain of plunder: unaccounted millions, dubious fund allocations, and fabricated beneficiaries. A calculated theft of public funds ripped from the pockets of the workers, peasants, students, and the poor. Like her jailed father, she wields power with impunity and uses violence and loyalty politics as weapons.
Together, Marcos Jr. and Duterte represent the worst face of bureaucrat-capitalism that has long rotted the foundations of this country. They are not rivals; they are partners in plunder. Impeachment processes, inquiries, and official investigations have repeatedly proven themselves nothing more than a show meant to protect their empire of theft.
The masses have endured enough. Months have passed since these scandals burst open, yet not a single mastermind sits behind bars. Instead, we witness political factions scrambling to rewrite narratives and trade accusations in an attempt to save their own skins.
It is not enough to condemn only one. We must reject the false choice between corrupt leaders. The most principled stance is to demand that both Marcos Jr. and Duterte resign because the nation cannot heal while either one remains in power.
With division sowed even among progressive ranks, the youth and the masses must utterly reject the option of silence and compromise. We must refuse to dilute the struggle or settle for symbolic protest while plunderers feast. We must not be swayed by their blame games or theatrical displays of concern for the nation’s welfare, because they are only loyal to their power.
To claim that November 30 should not carry the call for resignation is to underestimate the collective resolve of the masses who bear the weight of corruption and state abandonment every single day. There can be no middle ground between the oppressor and the oppressed. There can be no victory if we allow fear to fracture our movement.
We have already shown this government the power of the people it believes it can fool. The youth and the Filipino masses have proven time and again that no amount of intimidation or deceit can silence a people awakened to struggle. Last September 21, on the anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law, 15,000 students and people of Iloilo flooded the streets to reject corruption and demand accountability.
And we shall rise again. On November 30, the youth and the Filipino masses will return to the streets with conviction sharpened by struggle. If Marcos and Duterte believe they can pacify us and buy our silence, they are gravely mistaken. The collective clarity and unwavering resolve that burned in the chest of the Katipuneros and of Bonifacio burns now in the hearts of the youth and the Filipino masses.
To yield is betrayal to Bonifacio’s struggle for genuine liberation—and of the unfinished work he left behind.
The Pagbutlak Editorial Board
The Pagbutlak editors represents the collective voice of the publication, offering informed perspectives on pressing issues and advocating for the interests of the community it serves.
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