Vice Ganda and the Trillion Peso March on EDSA
She came not to entertain, but to demand justice, and the crowd roared with her
The afternoon sun bore down on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) turning the asphalt into a restless stage. Protesters waved placards scrawled with bold letters – “Stop the Steal!” “Jail the Thieves” – their placard edges curling under the heat. It was September 21, the anniversary of Martial Law, and thousands had gathered for what was called the Trillion Peso March. A massive demonstration condemning alleged corruption in a trillion-peso flood control and infrastructure projects involving the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and select politicians.
Once again EDSA, often remembered as the heart of people’s power–pulsed with defiance. Strangers linked arms, voices rising and falling in unison, each chant echoing off the buildings and spilling into side streets. It was not only another protest, but rather a collective howl of outrage.
The phenomenal takes the stage
In the middle of the chaos, the microphone crackles. The crowd stilled, expectant. Onstage stood Vice Ganda, her sequined cap glittering under the sun, her trademark flamboyance replaced by a sharper edge. The “Phenomenal Star” usually adored for punchlines and television banter, was no longer here to entertain.
“The time when we feared the government is over,” she declared. Her voice echoes across the avenue.
Vice Ganda on the Trillion Peso March
At that moment, her words, emotions, and protest laced with biting humor and raw rage that sent the crowd roaring. Vice Ganda was no longer just a comedian on primetime TV but rather giving voice to the frustrations of ordinary Filipinos.
In a nation where patience has too often been mistaken for submission, Vice’s words carried urgency. “We cannot be kind to demons,” she warned, urging Filipinos to keep their anger alive beyond the protest. It was all endurance: anger should not be fleeting. It had to be sustained–tomorrow, next week, next month, even years from now, “until they are gone”
Furthermore, she reminded Filipinos why the stakes were so high. With a mix of satire and searing truth, she told the crowd that corruption had already stripped them almost everything.
“We have nothing left to lose because we’ve already been robbed of everything. Now it’s time to take back what is ours.”
Vice Ganda on the Trillion Peso March
For many in the crowd, it was the first time they had heard a mainstream celebrity say aloud what they had only whispered– in kitchens, in workplaces.
Not alone in the fight
Vice didn’t stand alone. Onstage were artists, workers, students, and fellow citizens lending their voices to the call for accountability. She also acknowledged them with gratitude: “To all my fellow artists and to every Filipino robbed by this government — we salute you. Long live the people.”
It was a moment where entertainment and activism blurred where the star system, so often dismissed as shallow, became a vehicle for defiance.
Why did Vice’s words matter? Because in the Philippines, celebrities command more than attention, they shape the nation’s pulse. Moreover, Vice Ganda, with millions of fans across social classes, brought outrage to the mainstream. Cultural historians have long argued that humor has always been a weapon of resistance, from political satire during Martial Law to today’s viral memes. But Vice’s speech showed that even the brightest comedians could turn their humor into hammer, smashing the silence, demanding for transparency, accountability, and justice.
A dusk fell on EDSA again, chants of anger lingered. The crowd that had gathered to condemn corruption dispersed with renewed resolve. And Vice Ganda’s words are raw, sharp, and unforgettable that followed them home.
Her message was clear: fear no longer belongs to the people. It belongs to the government.
And in the end, the nation’s most phenomenal star became something larger than herself. She was not just a celebrity onstage, but a mirror reflecting the people’s fury, and a spark that reminded them of their collective power.
