Former Rebels Advocating Peace Condemn Sept. 21 Riot: “Chaos Is Not Liberation”

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Manila – Former rebels advocating peace condemned the violent turn of the September 21 anti-corruption protests in Manila, stressing that the unrest only served to empower the very forces it sought to oppose and diverted attention from the deeper crisis of systemic plunder.

For Ate Rose of the Mindoro Island Former Rebel Association (MIFRA), the protest failed to achieve its supposed objective. “Because of what happened in the Mendiola Riots, the purpose of the protest was rendered useless as people now focus on the lawlessness of mobsters. Instead of challenging corruption, it only gave empowerment to the corrupt by deviating the issue away from corruption and to the rowdiness of rioters. Worse, the CPP-NPA capitalized on the unrest, treating it as an opportunity for recruitment while fueling the chaos,” she said.

She urged the public to reject unnecessary violence and instead unite around genuine service, justice, and compassion. “This is the time for solidarity and mutual care, not destruction,” she added.

Noel Legaspi of Buklod Kapayapaan said that while those who committed violent acts should still be held accountable, it is crucial not to lose sight of the bigger picture. “What happened on Recto is not the central issue of the day. The real and far more pressing concern is the systematic robbery of the nation’s coffers through the flood control projects,” he stressed.

screenshot of viral tiktok video showing stolen cellphones from rally goers (satire)

According to him, the destruction in Manila pales in comparison to the “hundreds of billions plundered” from flood control projects involving prominent politicians, DPWH officials, and favored contractors. “If the state can punish those who engaged in violent protests, all the more should it go after the plunderers still sitting comfortably in Congress. Justice cannot operate on double standards,” Legaspi emphasized. He warned that the massive theft of public funds is a more destructive violence, economic, political, and moral—that condemns millions of Filipinos to poverty and recurring disasters.

For Arian Jane Ramos, also from Buklod Kapayapaan, the September 21 protest was supposed to be a powerful moment of collective outrage against corruption. “What began as a march for justice became smoke, shattered glass, and Molotov cocktails. Barricades burned, hundreds were injured, and over two hundred were arrested,” she noted, citing reports from AP News and Philstar.

Ramos criticized the duplicity of certain groups under the Makabayan bloc who, she said, “frame the riots as people’s anger, demand the release of those arrested, and blame only the police, yet refuse to condemn the violence itself. That silence is not neutrality. It is complicity.”

She elaborated further, underscoring that real activism demands principle and discipline. “True radicalism does not mean breaking windows or setting fires. True radicalism is moral clarity, discipline, and the courage to police your own ranks. It is refusing to let provocateurs turn a mass movement into a playground for anarchy. Without that discipline, your so-called revolution is just a riot with a hashtag,” Ramos said. For her, the Philippines deserves activism that is fearless yet principled. “Loud but non-violent. Brave but uncompromising on truth and accountability. Anything less is not liberation—it is surrender to chaos,” she added.

Together, the voices of Ate Rose, Legaspi, and Ramos highlight a common call: corruption must be confronted, but never through chaos. For them, peace, justice, and principled activism remain the only real weapons against the betrayal committed against the Filipino people.”