Students from several universities and colleges in Manila will walk out from their classes to join a mass demonstration in Mendiola on Oct. 17, against the rampant corruption in the government as well as the "snail-paced" investigations being conducted against individuals and agencies allegedly involved in the anomalous flood control projects across the country.

In a media conference by various student groups and youth organizations, they lamented the current situation of the youth as well as ordinary Filipinos who continuously suffer from the effects of corruption.

Students from universities along Taft Avenue, including De La Salle University, College of Saint Benilde, and Philippine Normal University, as well as other learning institutions in the University Belt, Sta. Mesa, Intramuros, and Quezon City will walk out from their classes and march toward Mendiola in the afternoon to hold a demonstration dubbed as the "National Day of Action Kontra Korapsyon."

The protest will also be attended by other progressive youth groups, including Anakbayan, Bayan Muna Youth, and Gabriela Youth, among others, to demand accountability from the government regarding the scandal.

They also criticized the lack of transparency in the ongoing investigations and the persistence of pork barrel allocations in the recently passed national budget for 2026.

“Iniimbitahan natin ang pinakamaraming kabataan—na nakapag-walkout na, gustong mag-walkout pa ulit, hindi pa nagwo-walkout—na sumama sa National Day of Action at ipakita ‘yong militansya natin na hindi pagtanggap ng back to normal operations as if hindi natin ina-unearth ‘yong trillions of pesos of corruption na ninanakaw sa kinabukasan ng kabataan (We invite as many youth as possible—those who have already walked out, those who want to walk out again, those who have not walked out yet—to join the National Day of Action and show our militancy that we will not accept a return to 'normal operations' as if we are not unearthing the trillions of pesos being stolen from the future of the youth)," Kabataan Part-list Rep. Renee Co said during the media briefing.

“This is the greatest investment the youth can provide for our future kung ikukumpara natin iyon sa alternative, which is mag-participate lang sa bulok na sistema at go with the flow. Meanwhile, ang flow is sobrang kinakaltasan ang sahod ng mga mangagawa, which is future sahod din ng mga kabataan. Binabarat kami sa edukasyon namin, tumataas ang tuition, at bumababa at hindi nagi-improve ‘yong pag-allot ng budget sa education (This is the greatest investment the youth can provide for our future if we compare it to the alternative, which is to just participate in the rotten system and go with the flow. Meanwhile, the current flow is so much cutting into the wages of workers, which is also the future wages of the youth. We are burdened with our education, tuition is increasing, and the budget allocation for education continues to decrease and not improve," the lawmaker added.

Meanwhile, the youth leaders said safeguards have been made to ensure safety and peace during the scheduled demonstration in Mendiola to prevent the chaos during the Sept. 21 rallies from happening again.

Officials reported that more than 90 police officers were injured and two individuals died when initially peaceful demonstrations turned violent after several youths, wearing masks and dressed in black, attacked police barricades on Ayala Bridge and Mendiola.

A riot also ensued between the masked youths and the police along Recto Avenue later that evening.

Around 200 people, including minors, were arrested.