Lead-up to Trillion Peso March: Students protest ‘theft of our future’

BAGUIO, Philippines – Students nationwide ramped up protests ahead of the planned Trillion Peso March on Bonifacio Day this Sunday, November 30, denouncing what they call “the theft of our future” amid mounting corruption allegations and deepening cuts to the education sector.

On November 17, or International Students’ Day, students across the country condemned rampant corruption in the government while urging more funding for the education sector.

Youth groups shocked many when they protested corruption in Davao City, a known Duterte stronghold, where they criticized the P249 billion in unprogrammed appropriations in the proposed 2026 national budget.

During a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on September 18, Rolando Toledo, a Department of Budget and Management (DBM) undersecretary, confirmed that previous national budgets funded flood-control projects through unprogrammed appropriations.

Students in Cebu also joined the nationwide protests, condemning environmentally damaging practices that worsened the effects of flooding.

Cebu was among the most affected areas during the onslaught of Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi), which placed it under a state of calamity.

In the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), around 5,500 students from major universities in Baguio City and Benguet province joined a school walkout on November 18. They also called for increased funding for state universities in CAR, which have been hit by large budget cuts in the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

Mountain Province State University is among the most affected, with a projected P961.653-million budget cut. The Abra State Institute of Sciences and Technology, Apayao State College and Kalinga State University will see P336.218 million, P86.728 million and P85.004 million in budget cuts, respectively.

On November 21, designated as the National Day of Walkout, another round of student protests took place.

In Metro Manila, thousands of students from schools along the University Belt, Taft Avenue, Intramuros and other areas marched to protest the alleged misuse of public funds.

Protesters demanded that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. step down, saying he is not innocent in the corruption issue, citing his role in signing or vetoing the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

They also criticized Vice President Sara Duterte, who is under investigation over the appropriation of P612.5 million in confidential funds under the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd). Duterte was also investigated for spending P125 million in just 11 days.

In a joint statement released on November 20, student leaders from universities under the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) said the student movement would not die down despite efforts by state forces to allegedly suppress student activists.

“Today, we stand stronger than ever, united under the banner of justice and accountability. We continue to resist in the face of attacks. We refuse to inherit a corrupt and rotten system,” the statement read.

After the September 21 anti-corruption protests, four student leaders were summoned by the Philippine National Police (PNP) for their involvement in the Mendiola protest, where protesters met police barricades with violence.

Among those issued subpoenas are Joaquin Buenaflor, the UP Diliman Student Council chairman; Tiffany Brillante, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Central Student Council president; Jacob Baluyot, associate editor of The Catalyst, PUP’s official student publication; and Aldrin Kitsune, Kalayaan Kontra Korapsyon deputy secretary general and a film student at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.

The Youth Rage Against Corruption, a network of student organizations dedicated to fighting corruption, released a unity statement saying the youth sector will continue its mobilizations until November 30, the commemoration of Bonifacio Day, when another Trillion Peso March Movement will take place.

“The plunder of public funds is not just a betrayal of trust – it is a theft of our future. For too long, corruption has stolen lives, dreams and the dignity of an entire nation. To confront it, we must act together with courage and resolve,” the statement read.

The statement has 106 signatories from student councils, publications and organizations from universities nationwide.

Eugene Enciso, a representative of the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), said students continue to join protests because they feel the effects of corruption through the current education crisis, which they attribute to the government’s lack of focus on the sector.

“The youth have always been at the forefront of protests. Ang pag-poprotesta ay isang lehitimong paraan upang ipaglaban ang karapatan ng mga estudyante sa isang free, accessible, and quality education (Protesting is a legitimate method of demanding the students’ right to free, accessible, and quality education),” Enciso said. – Rappler.com

Jose Emmanuel Thayer is a third-year BA Communication student at the University of the Philippines Baguio and an alumna of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2025.