After Zaldy Co tags him in flood mess, Marcos urged anew to resign

MANILA, Philippines — After former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co pointed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the mastermind of corruption in flood control projects, protesters on Sunday again urged the chief executive to step down.

The call for Marcos to resign amid the scandal came from rallyists attending the United People’s Initiative (UPI) protest at the People Power Monument in Quezon City, held concurrently with the three-day Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) demonstration at Luneta Park in Manila.

UPI secretary-general Capt. Rey Valeros (Ret.) initially rejected calls for Marcos to resign, instead saying in a chance interview ahead of the rally that the president should reconcile with his former ally and vice president to resolve corruption.

However, when Bangon Sambayanan secretary-general and Sonshine Media Network International host Jeffrey Celiz and his supporters joined the protest, more rallygoers began brandishing placards and chanting that Marcos should step down.

“Marcos should step down now unless he wants the country to be bogged down and the citizens to be torn apart,” Celiz told reporters in Filipino in a chance interview ahead of his participation in the UPI rally.

In a statement earlier on Sunday, UPI convenor Gen. Romeo Poquiz (Ret.) said he welcomed Celiz’s intent to join them, adding: “Though we may have varying views and calls, people and country are reasons worth setting aside our differences. We will continue to find that common ground.”

According to Valeros, UPI had entered into an agreement with the local government that they must refrain from “seditious statements” during the permitted rally.

READ: UPI vows no ‘seditious statements’ at Sunday rally

The agreement prompted the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) to initially hold back several protesters from entering the rally grounds for holding placards that called on Marcos to resign, QCPD director Col. Randy Silvio said in a chance interview on Sunday afternoon.

Asked whether the calls constituted sedition, Silvio said in Filipino, “Let’s see.”

“Let’s coordinate first with the legal officer. The DPOS also has a legal officer. Perhaps, after the activity, we’ll have a debriefing. Perhaps, we’ll talk about it there,” he added.

Silvio further noted that, apart from the friction caused by the placards and calls for the president to resign, there were no untoward incidents at the UPI rally on Sunday. /mcm