#pilipinas

and I am literally crying. It's so odd and warming to see such familiar things in an American movie. Their uniforms. The Jeepney. Even the balcony that we see for a split second looks just like the one on my grandfather's old house. My girl Manananggal and all the other creatures. One of the characters has the same name as my cousin! Not to mention they're voiced by H.E.R. and Liza Soberano?! AAAHH. As Ayo Edebiri put it, I am simply too seated.

The Philippines is an incredibly wealthy country that has been continuously and repeatedly ROBBED and EXPLOITED at gunpoint for centuries.

Recently, fellow Filipinos just learned that most of our taxes were taken away by nepotism and corruption; plans involving flood control, transportation, education, healthcare, etc. became ghost projects because of this abuse of power. It was recently exposed by a local TV show host and journalist Jessica Soho through the Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho program and was broadcast to the nation. Everything unraveled since then, nearing the end of August this year. They took away TRILLIONS OF PESOS (about 30 billion in USD) and this sum of money was used for luxurious and indulgent products like designer outfits, expensive cars, and the like by nepo babies and politicians.

Starting September 19, 2025 to September 21, 2025, Filipinos arranged city-wide rallies to protest against this abuse of power. All of this was planned, permitted and valid under our constitution.

Yesterday was the Trillion Peso March, the big finale for the movement before the Super Typhoon "Nando" enters the country the next day. The rallies escalated sometime in the afternoon, where the march to Malacañang Palace got interrupted by police enforcers, leading to a violent riot that lasted for hours until the dead of night. As of writing this, many were considered missing; about 72 were arrested, 31 dead, and MANY injured due to the interference of the anti-riot police enforcers. A lot of teenagers are missing, a child was shot by policemen who were in civilian clothing, many were beaten and stomped on, they used weapons against my people; tear gassed, gunned down, deafened. Keep in mind that a lot of the people that orchestrated this rally are students and members of the church, and yet the Mayor of Manila is accusing us of being drug addicts.

Many of those who have records of police brutality are getting silenced by the media, they predict that a massive media black out will erupt soon to try and hide the violence that partook in this supposedly peaceful protest.

My group only attended the morning scheduled protest (and yes, I was with @caramel-lita). We intended to stretch it out until the afternoon, but me and our other friend got overwhelmed too quickly by the amount of people coming and the immense heat of the weather. This was our first protest that isn't a Pride March, that one's tamer compared to this.

I'll have to ask the reader a favor to please have this information tucked in your mind. I don't expect action to be done because I know things are also difficult in different parts of the world, but please remember my people in those three important days. Tell someone about it, read our history, understand our culture, listen to our music even if you don't understand the lyrics (search Original Pilipino Music // OPM), watch our local movies, educate yourselves of the products we export to your countries. The poor folk that's been scrapping by, the workers who came because their labor was taken advantage of, the students and children who attended for their families and friends, they deserve to be remembered. There are many who are much more unfortunate than me when it comes to this issue, please keep them in your hearts, your minds, and your prayers if you must.

The Philippines is not a poor country, it's just rich in corrupt leaders. Please spread the word. Don't make the media erase this mark in history.

Another important thing about this protest is that many people were also showing their support for Palestine and many other tragedies that are currently happening in the world. My country is aware and they stand by those who are abused by those who swore to protect us. (link to my post about supporting Palestine)

Search up the tags #TrillionPesoMarch and #BahaSaLuneta on every social platform (specifically Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter). Do not trust all news outlets, listen to the people who attended the rallies and do your best to sift through potential fake news.

Thank you so much for reading this. May our futures stay bright as we step forward to more progress, wherever you may be in the world.

Nobody is free until everyone is free!

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!