What's On My Mind?

By Manny Vivas

The September 21 protest was a rare moment of clarity. For once, Filipinos from all walks of life spoke in unison: we are tired of a system that bleeds us dry while pretending to serve us. The sheer scale of the turnout showed that corruption still offends our sense of justice, that we are not yet fully desensitized to the theft carried out in broad daylight. That alone is worth recognizing.

But I can’t ignore the pattern. We’ve been here before—massive rallies, promises of reform, commissions that gather dust, and eventually, silence. Corruption in this country is not a side-effect; it’s the operating system. It survives because it is entrenched in institutions, habits, and networks of power that know exactly how to outwait our anger.

Still, I believe this protest matters. Not because it will, on its own, topple corruption, but because it cracked the wall. The question now is whether we widen that crack—or allow it to be plastered over. That depends on us, not the government. The system counts on our fatigue; it thrives when the streets grow quiet.

So here’s my point: the protest was a spark, nothing more, nothing less. But sparks, when fed, become fire. If we want real change, the days after September 21 matter more than September 21 itself. We must press harder, demand louder, and refuse to let this outrage dissolve into memory. Otherwise, we’ll be back in the streets years from now, asking the same questions, shouting at the same walls.

What's on your mind?