Over 5,000 youth and students marched to Mendiola in Manila on October 17 as part of the National Youth Day of Action Against Corruption. Led by national democratic organizations, student councils, and alliances, the youth cried out: “Remove Marcos-Duterte! Change the rotten system!”

Students staged walkouts and organized local programs in their universities before heading to Mendiola. Groups and students from 28 public and private universities in Metro Manila joined the action.

Students also launched walkouts and protest pickets in Baguio City, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Cebu City, Iloilo City, and Davao City. Over 700 students, teachers, and staff walked out of Central Luzon State University that day.

Several days earlier, students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (15,000), De La Salle University in Manila and Laguna, the University of the East-Manila, Our Lady of Fatima University, De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, and Mapua University staged separate walkouts. Students of De La Salle Araneta University in Malabon City also walked out on October 20. In total, more than 40,000 students and youth nationwide have joined the anti-corruption walkout movement since September.

The youth remain undaunted despite the Marcos regime’s suppression attempts. They continued their protests despite consecutive reported “bomb threats” in many universities and schools across multiple provinces designed to disrupt the growing and frequent mobilizations.

They also denounced state repression, including the Philippine National Police’s summoning of youth leaders and campus journalists for their involvement in the protest and clashes in Mendiola, Manila, on September 21. Police summoned a Polytechnic University of the Philippines journalist and student, and an organizer of the Kalayaan Kontra Korapsyon.

The September 21 police violence victims, mostly youth, dubbed Mendiola 277, gathered on October 12. With their relatives, lawyers, and human rights groups, they formed the Alliance Against Corruption and Police Brutality or AKAB.