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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Metro Manila devider Hundreds join Bulacan students' protest against corruption and 'ghost' projects

Hundreds join Bulacan students' protest against corruption and 'ghost' projects

Published Sep 19, 2025 03:58 pm
Bulacan farmers, fisherfolk, youth leaders, progressive groups, and Iskolar ng Bayan raise their voices in protest against corruption outside the DPWH Bulacan District Office on Friday, Sept. 19. (Photo by Freddie Velez)
Bulacan farmers, fisherfolk, youth leaders, progressive groups, and Iskolar ng Bayan raise their voices in protest against corruption outside the DPWH Bulacan District Office on Friday, Sept. 19. (Photo by Freddie Velez)
Around 300 students from Bulacan State University (BulSU) joined by professors, youth groups, and marginalized sectors staged a campus walkout on Friday, Sept. 19, to protest alleged corruption and “ghost” flood control projects in the province.
The protest began outside the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan First District Office in Barangay Tikay, where farmers, fisherfolk, progressive organizations, and Iskolar ng Bayan gathered to demand accountability for stalled infrastructure projects.
Before marching, demonstrators assembled at Sta. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish, where Ka Danilo “Daning” Ramos, co-convenor of Bulacan for Good Governance, delivered a keynote speech condemning the misuse of public funds.
Over 300 Bulacan State University students, joined by professors and marginalized groups, march in solidarity during a university-wide walkout against corruption and fraudulent infrastructure projects in Bulacan. (Photo courtesy of BulSU Student Government)
Over 300 Bulacan State University students, joined by professors and marginalized groups, march in solidarity during a university-wide walkout against corruption and fraudulent infrastructure projects in Bulacan. (Photo courtesy of BulSU Student Government)
Bulacan State University students gather at the Capitol Mini Forest Park to kick off their walkout mobilization, demanding accountability for alleged “ghost” flood control projects in the province. (Photo by Freddie Velez)
Bulacan State University students gather at the Capitol Mini Forest Park to kick off their walkout mobilization, demanding accountability for alleged “ghost” flood control projects in the province. (Photo by Freddie Velez)
The group then marched to the DPWH gate, only to be met by a police barricade.
“The people of Bulacan are fed up with corruption. We demand accountability from those who plunder our town,” protesters chanted.
The walkout was a show of solidarity between BulSU’s student body and citizens affected by flooding allegedly caused by failed infrastructure projects.
Protesters later gathered at the Provincial Mini Forest Children’s Park inside the Capitol compound to amplify their call for justice.
Despite the university administration’s announcement on Sept. 17 shifting classes to online mode due to a transport strike, students pushed through with the protest.
In defiance of the class shift, students hung banners reading “Campus Walkout Persists!” across university buildings and invited fellow state scholars to join.
Youth volunteers also painted protest art to express their outrage.
BulSU-SG Senator Jerolbe Capule emphasized that the walkout was a deliberate stand against systemic government failures.
"Ito ay pagtayo natin sa mga isyung panlipunan na nararanasan, hindi lamang ng mga BulSUan, pero ng bawat pamilya at bawat Bulakenyo na nanakawan ng badyet, nanakawan ng pondo at ng kaban ng bayan (This is our stand on the social issues faced not only by BulSUans, but by every Bulakenyo robbed of public funds and national resources),” Capule said.
BulSU, one of the largest state universities in Central Luzon, sits at the heart of a region plagued by questionable flood control projects. Among the most notorious is the P55-million “ghost” river wall project in Baliwag, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. personally inspected.
The DPWH Bulacan office is under scrutiny following revelations during a House hearing, where former district engineer Brice Hernandez presented photos of alleged bundles of cash linked to corruption.
BulSU Student Regent and SG President Roshan Reyes said the walkout is a form of national service.
“In Bulacan, the message is clear: we are not deaf, not blind, and certainly not cowards. We will confront and expose the truth behind these flood control anomalies. This walkout is a call for justice, accountability, and a youth uprising for a fair future,” Reyes declared.

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