The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) expresses its concern over the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) declaration of a red alert in the wake of mounting anger and scheduled protests in relation to billions of pesos worth of corruption in the country’s flood control projects.

Workers and all Filipinos will remain vigilant and expect the AFP to be true to its promise of merely supporting the Philippine National Police (PNP), the main body tasked to maintain peace and order during mass protests, and upholding the people’s right to freedom of expression and assembly.

Maybe some top military and government officials think that placing the AFP on red alert on September 12 until beyond the major mobilization on September 21, the 53^rd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the country, will scare workers and Filipinos from participating in the protests.

Anger on social media and in the grassroots, according to our partner labor organizations and organizers, remains very high. Workers’ unions and organizations are preparing and are eager to join the protests, especially on September 21. Scare tactics at this point will only fuel further anger.

The Ferdinand Marcos Jr government is too paranoid if it believes rumors of divisions in the military and possible military withdrawal of support. In our country’s history, military interventions are results of sustained big mass mobilizations and government failure to carry out reforms.

The mass protests against corruption and government investigations into corruption allegations are both just starting. People’s anger is expected to mount if the government fails to hold the biggest corrupt politicians and contractors accountable for plunder.

We remind President Marcos Jr that workers and Filipinos are judging his government in relation to his father’s dictatorship on at least two issues. First, on how it deals with corruption and plunder. Second, on how it deals with protests and workers’ exercise of their human rights.

In calling for the jailing of corrupt politicians and contractors, CTUHR also calls on the Marcos Jr government to release the 20 political prisoners from the labor movement and all political prisoners in the country. Plunderers engage in corruption while labor organizers empower workers to fight corruption.

Plunderers have robbed the people’s coffers and have engaged in profligate spending. Labor organizers have lived simple lives in the service of workers and the poor. The first is engaged in illegal activities, the second, in activities that are perfectly legal and necessary to a democracy.