Metro Manila, Philippines – On his last day as the head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David rejected proposals for a civil-military junta and calls for a transition council that would oust President Bongbong Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte in the midst of the multi-billion peso flood fund scam probe.
In his speech at the second Trillion Peso March on Sunday, Nov. 30, David said the Catholic church does not echo the call of some protesters at Luneta, Manila, which coincided with the rally at the EDSA People Power Monument.
Some rallyists from progressive groups backed calls that would establish a transition council in pursuing accountability from the corruption mess.
Rumors of a civil-military junta have also been floated last week after former Philippine National Police chief and Sen. Ping Lacson said that he himself was offered to join the movement.
“Ayaw natin sa panukalang transition council or revolutionary government dahil ayaw natin maging banana republic ang Pilipinas. Ayaw din natin ng civilian at military junta kahit pangakuan pa kaming mga obispo ng puwesto sa gobyerno dahil malinaw sa amin hindi namin linya ang pulitika at pangongobyerno,” David said.
“Hindi natin kailangan sunugin ang buong bahay dahil lang ibig natin hulihin at papanagutin ang mga ipis at daga ng ating lipunan. Paano natin mapapanagot ang mga dapat managot kapag nagsimula na naman tayo sa wala,” he added.
[Translation: We do not want a proposed transition council or revolutionary government because we do not want the Philippines to become a banana republic. We also do not want a civilian or military junta, even if we bishops are promised positions in the government, because it is clear to us that politics and governing are not our line of work…We do not need to burn down the entire house just because we want to catch and hold accountable the cockroaches and rats of our society. How can we hold the right people accountable if we start again from nothing?]
Instead, David said the group is pushing for more transparency on the flood control corruption probe, challenging President Bongbong Marcos to stay true to his words on going after the corrupt officials wherever the evidence leads.
He also thanked the Iglesia Ni Cristo for holding a two-day rally for “transparency and better democracy,” a call which David said the Catholic church also supports.
Third rally?
In an interview with NewsWatch Plus, Kiko Aquino Dee, one of the lead organizers for the Trillion Peso March, said the group is ready to stage a third rally should there be no progress on the prosecution of implicated personalities.
While Aquino did not specify a date, event hosts encouraged everyone to join a rally in February 2026 – the month of the EDSA People Power Revolution anniversary.
Meanwhile, ACT Teacher’s Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said more massive rallies are possible as corruption may still persist in the 2026 budget and that the big fishes in the flood control mess remain to walk free.
Tinio joined the EDSA event after joining the Luneta rally in the morning.
“For sure makakaasa tayo na mas may malaki na part 3 ito…tignan mo ‘yung 2026 budget, nandiyan pa rin ‘yung pork, tinatawag na allocables. Walang maniniwala na wala ng corruption next year. Tapos hinihintay ‘yung pinakamalalaking isda, makakasuhan pa ba?,” he said in a chance interview.
[Translation: For sure we can expect that there will be an even bigger part 3 to this… just look at the 2026 budget, the pork is still there, now called ‘allocables.’ No one will believe that there will be no corruption next year. And we’re still waiting for the biggest fish—will they even be charged?]
With him was Gabriela Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago, who urged Filipinos to sustain the calls for accountability on the flood control corruption.
“Saan man, online o offline. Itong pagiging organized…ang magtitiyak sa atin na tuloy tuloy ang pagpapanagot hanggang sa makamit natin ang pagbabago ng sistema,” she said.
[Translation: Whether it’s online or offline, let’s be organized as this will ensure that the calls for accountability continue and that we can achieve a systemic change.]
