Militant groups on Friday, Sept. 5, gathered outside the St. Gerrard Construction Building in Pasig City, vowing to sustain their peaceful protests as they demanded for an "exorcism" of the national budget of corruption and accountability from construction companies allegedly involved in anomalous flood control projects.

The groups included members of the Akbayan Party, Youth Against Kurakot (YaK!), and allied organizations. Some protesters portrayed the Discaya couple, Sarah and Curlee, along with Wawao Builders owner Mark Allan Arevalo, as ghosts by wearing white fabrics over their heads and bodies bearing the images of the three contractors.

The groups chanted, “Kadiring kurakot (Disgusting corruption),” while carrying placards that read, “Punish all plunderers! ” “Mga kurakot yan?? Minumulto na kayo ng ghost flood control projects ninyo (You are all corrupt?? You are now being haunted by your ghost flood control projects), "Freeze assets of the corrupt," and "Ban contractors of ghost flood control projects," among others.

Akbayan Youth Secretary General and Youth Against Kurakot Co-Convenor Khylla Meneses said that all culprits must be unmasked: “Sobrang dami ng ghost projects na patuloy tayong minumulto. Kaya dapat nating tukuyin at singilin ang mga certified kurakot gaya ng mga Discaya, na hayagang ninanakaw ang kinabukasan ng kabataan (There are so many ghost projects that continue to haunt us. That is why we must identify and hold accountable the certified corrupt like the Discayas, who are openly stealing the youth’s future). We must exorcise corruption in government once and for all.”

“Yung bilyon-bilyong ninakaw sa ghost projects, sana classrooms na ngayon para sa mga estudyante. Pero dahil sa mga kurakot, napunta lang sa bulsa nila. Kaya bilang kabataan, lalaban kami, kasi kinabukasan namin ang ninanakaw nila (The billions stolen through ghost projects could have been classrooms for students today. But because of the corruption, the money only went into their pockets. As youth, we will fight, because they are stealing our future),” Meneses added.

She emphasized that they will continue to resist the culture of impunity, stressing that the youth should not accept corruption as “normal.”

“Isa itong halimaw na nagpapabulok ng sistema ng ating pag-gogobyerno, at patuloy tayong titindig hanggang mabigyang liwanag at hustisya ang mga kababalaghang ito (This is a monster that rots our system of governance, and we will continue to stand firm until these anomalies are exposed and justice is served),” she said.

Akbayan President Rafaela “Paeng” David added that the Discayas are just the tip of the iceberg.

“The Discaya syndicate is just a symptom of a deeper network of corruption. We must ask: sino ba ang kasabwat dyan? Sino ang kumikita habang naghihirap ang mga Pilipino? (Who are their accomplices? Who is profiting while Filipinos are suffering?). All their links to public officials must be exposed, rooted out, and brought to justice. Only then can we stop this culture of plunder,” David said.

David also called for the immediate freezing of their assets before the stolen funds could be moved beyond the government’s reach.

“Hindi sapat na ilagay sa travel bulletin or tanggalin ang accreditation nila. Dapat i-freeze agad ang mga assets ng Discayas at lahat ng sangkot na kontraktor (It is not enough to put them on the travel bulletin or revoke their accreditation. The assets of the Discayas and all involved contractors must be frozen immediately),” she said.

“Ninakaw nila ito mula sa taumbayan at dapat maibalik ito sa kaban ng bayan (They stole from the people, and the money must be returned to the national treasury),” she added.

Apart from accountability, the groups also pushed for key reforms, including the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill, the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) Disclosure Bill, and greater transparency in the entire budget process.