Philippines: Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray Warns at Church-Led Rally: ‘Every Time We Stay Quiet, Corruption Wins’

Former Miss Universe Catriona Gray delivered a fiery speech at a church-led mass rally in Manila, Philippines, on Nov 30, warning that “every time we stay quiet, corruption wins” as she urged for cases to be filed over missing public funds.

“Today we stand here as Filipinos who are tired,” she said. “Tired of watching corruption steal food from our tables, steal medicines from our hospitals, classrooms from our children, and safety from our communities.”

Gray said Filipinos have repeatedly watched their homes submerged in floods while the funds meant to protect them were pocketed by corrupt officials. “Billions of pesos disappeared without accountability, without justice, without answers,” she added.

“What scares me the most is this,” she continued. “Many are starting to forget why we are angry. People have gone silent not because they do not care, but because they have lost the belief that change will ever come. And while our nation grows exhausted, our leaders remain silent.”

Switching to Tagalog, she questioned the public’s resignation: “Why are we allowing this? Why does it keep happening again and again? When are we going to wake up? What more do we need?” She asked how many more floods, scandals and stolen funds it would take “before we finally say, enough!”

Gray said the country is trapped in “a system built to benefit the corrupt few,” where silence enables those in power to enrich themselves—those who “live in mansions in America” and “buy designer bags” while ordinary Filipinos sink deeper into floods, debt and poverty.

“That’s why today we demand action,” she declared. “To the Ombudsman, file the cases now. To the senators, suspend those implicated. And to Congress, pass the anti-political dynasty bill—because power should not be inherited; it should be earned through service to the people.”

A total of 86 Roman Catholic dioceses nationwide have issued a call for truth, accountability and genuine transparency as they expressed support for the anti-corruption Trillion Peso March rally.

“We remain united. The fight continues,” Caritas Philippines, the humanitarian, development and advocacy arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said in a Facebook post.

Gray also joined the church-led anti-corruption rally on September 21 this year where she also took the stage to demand accountability from government officials.