Hordes of Protesters Expected to Join Anti-Corruption Rally on Martial Law Anniversary

Thousands of Filipinos are expected to gather in the streets of Metro Manila on Sunday, September 21, for a series of nationwide protests denouncing alleged corruption in government-funded flood control projects.

The biggest demonstrations are set at 9 A.M. at the Luneta Park in Manila and at 2 P.M. at the People Power Monument along EDSA in Quezon City. Organizers have dubbed the main Metro Manila rally the “Trillion Peso March,” after claims that as much as ₱1 trillion ($17.6 billion) was skimmed from climate-related projects in 2023.

Authorities have assured that security preparations are in place. The Philippine National Police (PNP) has set full alert status in NCR starting 5:00 P.M., September 19, 2025. More than 50,000 police personnel have been deployed, with close coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said it will deploy personnel for traffic management, crowd control, emergency response, and safety monitoring during the events.

President Bongbong Marcos has expressed support for the protests, saying he understood the anger of the people over corruption allegations. “Of course, they are enraged. They are angry, I’m angry. We should all be angry, because what is happening is not right.”

The rally coincides with the 53rd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law on September 21, 1972, by the president’s late father, Ferdinand E. Marcos. That declaration ushered in two decades of authoritarian rule, marked by alleged human rights abuses and widespread corruption, before the elder Marcos was ousted by the People Power Revolution of 1986 and forced into exile.