“SOBRA NA. TAMA NA. IKULONG NA!”
The manifesto lay like a banner of accusation — bold type, plain demands, no-nonsense language: expedite prosecutions, confiscate ill-gotten wealth, and force full transparency of public projects and officials’ assets. What began on paper as the Manifesto of the Trillion Peso March Movement quickly became a movement in the streets, a coalition of church leaders, educators, civic groups and ordinary Filipinos who said, in one thunderous voice, “Enough.”
A symbolic date turned the anger incandescent. Organizers set the rallies for September 21 — the anniversary of the 1972 declaration of martial law — deliberately recalling past abuses to underscore the stakes of today’s corruption scandals. The gatherings that followed were not just protests; they were a civic exclamation point against a perceived pattern of stolen resources and broken promises. Tens of thousands marched in cities across the archipelago on that day, with organized assemblies from Luneta to provincial centers.
What the October 1, 2025 dated manifesto demanded is surgical and explicit. It calls for a judiciary that treats corruption like the national emergency it is: investigations, prosecutions and sentencing done on an expedited timeline; a legal mechanism to freeze and forfeit assets gained through graft; and a digital, public ledger of Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), project proponents and independent audits made available to every citizen. The language is stripped of rhetorical flourishes because its authors wanted one thing to be clear — this is about returning public resources and rebuilding civic trust. (Full manifesto text provided by the movement.)
MANIFESTO OF THE TRILLION PESO MARCH MOVEMENT
PREAMBLE
We, the Filipino people, united by faith, hope, and a shared vision for a just nation, rally under the “Trillion PESO March” Movement to confront injustice: corruption that cripples our country. Trillions of pesos, plundered through fraudulent projects, ghost programs, and unchecked disbursements, have robbed millions of education, healthcare, infrastructure, and livelihood. These funds, stolen in collusion by politicians, bureaucrats, and oligarchs, have denied Filipinos the dignity of progress and stolen the nation’s future.
We demand accountability, reform, and justice to restore dignity, secure progress, and build a future where every Filipino thrives.
This manifesto sets forth our non-negotiable demands, directed to all branches of government, institutions, and agencies entrusted with upholding public trust.
OUR DEMANDS
1. Expedite Prosecution of Corruption Cases
The judiciary must prioritize and accelerate the investigation, prosecution, trial, and sentencing of legislators, government officials, and contractors found guilty of corruption and plunder. It should establish a special task force to resolve high-profile cases within 120 days, ensuring compliance with Republic Act 7080 (Plunder Law) and Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft Law).
2. Forfeiture and Recovery of Illicit Assets
Assets acquired through corruption by officials, contractors, and private individuals must be frozen and forfeited immediately. Recovered funds and assets from fraudulent or unverified projects must be returned to the National Treasury with interest, calculated at the prevailing legal rate, and allocated to social services like healthcare and education.
3. Full Transparency in Public Projects and Assets, and Proceedings
The government must ensure public access to:
a) Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) and Beneficial Ownership Declarations of all elective and appointive officials, digitized and available online within three months;
b) Detailed lists of political proponents and contractors for all Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects, updated quarterly; and
c) Independent audits of these projects by the Commission on Audit (COA) within six months of completion. These requirements must apply to all future budgets.
Lastly, all COA proceedings, including audits and investigations, must be published and archived online for public access.
CLOSING STATEMENT
We, the convenors and leaders of the “Trillion PESO March” Movement, declare corruption the root of poverty, inequality, and injustice in the Philippines. These demands reflect our constitutional right and duty as citizens to pursue accountability through peaceful means, as enshrined in the 1987 Constitution. We call upon every Filipino to join this collective struggle for a transparent, honest, and accountable government.
SOBRA NA. TAMA NA. IKULONG NA!
Signatories:
Church Leaders Council for National Transformation (CLCNT)
A coalition of faith leaders advocating for moral governance, social justice, and national transformation through the guidance of Christian values and principles.
Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan (ANIM)
A broad people’s alliance uniting communities and civic groups to push for accountability, good governance, and the protection of democratic rights.
SIKLAB
A youth and grassroots-driven movement dedicated to mobilizing communities in pursuit of social justice, active citizenship, and anti-corruption initiatives.
MAPSA / CEAP
MAPSA (Manila Archdiocesan and Parochial Schools Association): A network of Catholic schools under the Archdiocese of Manila.
CEAP (Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines): The largest organization of Catholic educational institutions in the country, advocating for quality education rooted in faith and social responsibility.
Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP)
A nationwide community of Christian men and women in business and professional fields, working to live out Christian values in the marketplace and society.
CMSP
(Council of the Laity of the Philippines – Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as CMSP in manifestos). A lay organization promoting active lay participation in church and social concerns.
Caritas Philippines (Caritas PH)
The national humanitarian, development, and advocacy arm of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, focusing on poverty alleviation, disaster response, and social justice.
Partner CSOs, and which now includes the Green Party of the Philippines which was represented by its External Vice President, Ross Flores Del Rosario.
Who signed that banner? The lead convenor was the newly formed Church Leaders Council for National Transformation (CLCNT), a cross-section of clergy, nuns and lay leaders that has moved quickly into public advocacy for ethical governance. They were joined by Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan (ANIM), a coalition that describes itself as a broad people’s alliance pushing for accountability and an end to political dynasties; SIKLAB, a grassroots and youth mobilization force; Catholic education networks MAPSA and CEAP; the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP); CMSP; and Caritas Philippines, the Catholic Church’s main humanitarian and social justice arm. Each organization brings moral weight, institutional reach and community networks that made mass mobilization possible.
This convergence of church and civic forces was both strategic and moral. Church leaders have long had influence in Filipino public life; their entry into this movement reframed the protests from partisan confrontation into an appeal for national renewal. Civil society, meanwhile, supplied research, lists of questionable projects and the organizational infrastructure for a nationwide day of action. Together they created a public narrative: the problem is not any single leader or party — it is a system that allows projects to be paid for and never finished, contracts to be awarded with little scrutiny, and public funds to leak into private hands.
The spotlight widened as international organizations and media amplified claims of large-scale misappropriation. Investigations and reporting — from investigative NGOs to global outlets — raised the specter of billions siphoned from climate resilience and flood-control projects, allegations that fueled urgency among protesters and lawmakers alike. That broader reporting helped transform local outrage into national demand: not just for accountability, but for structural reforms that prevent recurrence.
The state’s response was mixed and tense. Security forces were placed on alert; authorities warned of bad actors exploiting the demonstrations; and, troublingly, clashes after some rallies led to arrests and an uneasy aftermath that underscored how fragile large-scale civic action can become when provocation and crowd dynamics intersect. Yet even amid heated moments, a new fact remained: a network of institutions — religious bodies, school systems, and civic coalitions — had successfully articulated a concrete set of reforms and pushed them into the national conversation.
What happens next will test institutions across the board. The manifesto’s demands are legal and administrative, not revolutionary: criminal cases processed on a tighter timeline, recovered funds redirected to healthcare and education, and transparent procurement and auditing for all public works. If properly implemented, these are changes that would shift where public money goes and who benefits — from opaque contracts and ghost projects to clinics, classrooms and flood defenses that actually protect communities. If ignored, the protests risk becoming one more seasonal expression of outrage rather than an agent of lasting reform.
The Trillion Peso March may become a footnote in the long struggle against corruption — or it may be the beginning of a new baseline: where the moral authority of church leaders, the organizing capacity of civil society, and the pressure of millions of citizens coalesce into reforms that matter. The manifesto on the floor was unadorned, but its message is crystalline: restore what was stolen, make processes open, and punish those who abused public trust. The country now waits to see whether that demand will be met with the institutional courage it demands.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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