The August Twenty-One Movement (ATOM) has relaunched its Anti-Cronyism Movement (ACRONYM), a campaign first conceptualized by ATOM co-founder and Chairman Reli German during the Martial Law era. The initiative seeks to highlight and address the persistent issue of corruption in government, with particular focus on public officials and their associates who misuse public funds.

In a statement, ATOM Vice Chair Mildred Juan and President Voltaire Bohol said the revival of the Anti-Cronyism Movement underscores the group’s continuing mission to combat entrenched corruption and misuse of state resources.

“Public money intended for housing, food, and basic services for the poorest Filipino families too often ends up diverted into private pockets,” Bohol said. “This campaign is about ensuring accountability and ending the culture of impunity that allows such practices to continue.”

Juan added that the group would lend its support to initiatives that expose and prosecute corruption. “We stand with those who work to uncover wrongdoing and bring cases against officials who betray the public trust,” she said.

ATOM traces its roots to the events of August 21, 1983, when the assassination of Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. galvanized middle-class professionals to organize against the Marcos dictatorship. Under the leadership of Agapito “Butz” Aquino and Reli German, ATOM became part of the broader anti-dictatorship coalition Justice for Aquino, Justice for All (JAJA), which played a pivotal role in the run-up to the 1986 People Power Revolution.

With the revival of the Anti-Cronyism Movement, ATOM’s leaders said the group seeks to carry forward its legacy of civic action. “The fight against corruption is inseparable from the fight for justice and democracy,” Juan noted. “This work remains as urgent today as it was when ATOM was founded.”