THE Union of People’s Lawyers in Mindanao-Northern Mindanao Chapter’s secretary-general urged citizens to get angry about government corruption and hold officials accountable for misusing public funds.
“Ang kawatan naa mismo sa Kongreso, naa sa Senado, naa sa DPWH, nakigkonsabo sa dagkong contractors, billions of pesos,” said Atty. Beverly Selim-Musni during a ‘Black Friday’ protest staged at Press Freedom Monument.
Selim-Musni ― who also encouraged lawyers from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) to investigate the corruption ― said the misused trillions of pesos should be returned to the Filipino people.
She pointed out that people in Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon are victims of flood control projects where funds have allegedly been corrupted.
“Let us all be angry,” Selim-Musni said.
Meanwhile, Fr. Rolando Abejo, chairman of Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) in Northern Mindanao, called for the jailing of corrupt officials and demanded accountability from both the administrations of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Atong gihagit ang katawhan sa Cagayan de Oro nga muduyog sa pagpahayag nga wala ta miangay. Wala ta nalipay niining pagpangawat sa gobyerno,” Abejo said.
Musni and Abejo urged everyone to participate in a nationwide protest rally set for tomorrow to condemn the “trillion worth of corruption.”
During a candle-lighting ceremony at the Press Freedom monument yesterday, the group sang a birthday song for journalist Kara David, whose viral social media post wished for all corrupt people in the Philippines to die.
