30/11/2025
UNITY STATEMENT: CAGAYAN VALLEY YOUTH RISE AGAINST CORRUPTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLUNDER
On the 162nd birth anniversary of G*t Andres Bonifacio, we, the undersigned youth organizations of Cagayan Valley, join the Filipino people in renewing our call to hold accountable those responsible for systemic and large-scale corruption.
The crises confronting the nation today are deeply interconnected. They stem from a government that has allowed impunity to overshadow public service. Under the administration of Marcos Jr. and Duterte, and the cohorts that sustain their power, corruption has entrenched itself within institutions meant to uplift and protect the people. What should have been mechanisms of good governance have instead become tools of betrayal, worsening the socio-economic hardships felt across our region and the whole country.
This climate of impunity does not only enable corruption, it also fuels the attacks on those who dare speak against it. Youth leaders, advocates, and community organizers who raise legitimate demands are increasingly subjected to red-tagging, harassment, and vicious attempts to silence dissent. These scare tactics aim to intimidate the very sectors calling for accountability, exposing how far those in power will go to preserve a status quo built on fear and suppression. The message is clear: corruption thrives when voices of truth are threatened.
It is in this environment that destructive mining operations continue to expand in Cagayan Valley, particularly in Dinapigue, Isabela and Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya. The exploitation of our land is inseparable from the governance crisis we confront. These mining interests flourish because leaders choose to protect them instead of safeguarding our communities. As a region shielded by the Sierra Madre yet constantly battered by typhoons, we cannot accept decisions that heighten our vulnerability. Our communities have not yet recovered from the devastation of Super Typhoon Uwan, and the aid that should have reached victims was again corroded by the corruption we denounce. This deadly combination, environmental plunder enabled by political decay, places Cagayan Valley at the frontline of both climate and governance injustices. We refuse this future, and we refuse the leaders who make it possible.
In the face of these escalating threats, we, the youth of Cagayan Valley, stand firm. The attempts to smear, silence, or intimidate us only affirm the necessity of our struggle. We will not be cowed by red-tagging or repression; instead, we draw strength from the growing collective resistance of communities across the region.
Inspired by the uncompromising courage of Bonifacio, we commit ourselves to advancing the fight for justice, transparency, and genuine social change.
As the youth of this nation, we will not back down.
SIGNATORIES:
Save Cagayan Valley
Youth Commission Movement- Gonzaga Chapter
Kuston - Koalisyon dagiti Umili Laban iti Korapsyon
College Editors Guild of the Philippines - Cagayan Valley
Kabataan Partylist Cagayan Valley
Kabataan Partylist - Santiago City
Nueva Vizcaya League of Youth for Nature
Anakbayan Nueva Vizcaya
