YOUTH CLIMATE ACTIVISTS WALKOUT AGAINST CORRUPTION!
- Guest
- Dec 4
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 4
Youth climate activists from the Alliance of Environmentalists and Stem Students for Inclusive Governance (AESTIG) deferred from their classes and braved the streets in order to protest against rampant corruption from within the government.
The broad student coalition Youth Rage Against Corruption (YRAC), comprised of students from the universities found within the vicinity of Intramuros, Katipunan Avenue, University Belt, and Taft Avenue, spearheaded the march towards the Mendiola Peace Arch carrying their separate struggles within their universities but united by one cause… the ouster of President Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte.
The youth assert that corruption has barricaded the development of the most pivotal sectors that provide for their most basic needs. When our public coffers are being pocketed by the wealthiest elites, crony politicians, and government officials, the future of our youth becomes obscure.
Studies have shown that our urban centers remain some of the most polluted cities in the world. Manila ranks 5th for the most polluted city in the world, 19th in terms of Greenhouse Gases Emissions and energy consumption, and dropped 12 spots to 19th place, formerly 7th, in the recent 2026 Climate Change Performance. At present, the Philippines is still ranked 7th in the most recent climate-risk index. We are hit by an average of 20 typhoons every single year and its effects on our economy, environment, and communities have worsened at present.
Typhoon Uwan left a death toll of 33 individuals with over 7.8 million residents affected by the devastation. Our citizens are not given enough time to recuperate from the losses of a typhoon as the frequency of its landfalls have increased. Prior to this, people are also still recovering from Typhoon Tino whose recorded fatalities has recently increased to 269 with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reporting over P484.8 million worth of agricultural damages.
The grievances of our sectors which may aid in climate mitigation have fallen on deaf ears. Instead of focusing on nationalizing our industries, improving our public services, and aiding our rural farmers, our government is raptured by a flood of corruption.
All of these factors destroy a bright future for our youth. Rachelle Junsay, the representative speaker for AESTIG from yesterday’s nationwide walkout and the National Coordinator for the Youth Advocate for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP), emphasized the need for the youth to mobilize given the intersectionality of corruption, all in the mission of achieving of climate justice.
“As inheritors of this planet, we must not let them [the government] destroy our environment, our education, and our future. It’s been almost a month since the investigation of the corruption on the flood control funds was initiated but no one is in bars, no one is held accountable. All of them [corrupt officials] are still in their air-conditioned homes while the Filipino people are flooded, our citizens are suffering from the worsening intensity of the heat, and our students can not go to school because of the suspensions and flood,” states Junsay.
She emphasized that the youth recognizes that our system will continue to neglect the issues of climate change as long as it is ruled over by bureaucrat capitalists. As a rallying call for all climate activists and the youth who will soon join our ranks, Junsay urges them to mobilize and organize against the rampant corruption from within the government, as she stressed that no substantial change is possible without changing our system.
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