Public Outcry Over Graft in Flood Defence Projects
Thousands of demonstrators, including prominent figures from the dominant Roman Catholic church clergy, have taken to the streets across the Philippines. They are demanding the swift prosecution of top-level legislators and officials implicated in a vast corruption scandal that has shaken the Asian democracy to its core.
The protests, occurring on Sunday, saw left-wing groups organise a separate rally in Manila’s main park. Their demand was unequivocal: all government officials implicated in the scandal should resign immediately and face criminal charges.
Government Scrambles Amidst Security Lockdown
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is facing intense pressure to quell public fury. The outrage stems from a massive corruption network blamed for funding substandard, defective, or entirely non-existent flood control projects. This is a critical failure for an archipelago nation long prone to deadly flooding and extreme tropical weather.
In a significant show of force, authorities deployed more than 17,000 police officers across metropolitan Manila to secure the separate protests. The Malacanang presidential palace complex was placed under a stringent security lockdown, with key access roads and bridges blocked by anti-riot police forces, trucks, and barbed wire railings.
This unrest unfolds in a nation with a history of political upheaval, where two presidents have been overthrown in the last 39 years, partly over plunder allegations. This context has fuelled isolated calls for the military to withdraw support from the Marcos administration.
However, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has firmly rejected such appeals. On Sunday, it welcomed a statement signed by at least 88 mostly retired generals, including three former military chiefs of staff, which strongly condemned any call for the military to engage in "unconstitutional acts or military adventurism." The military affirmed it remains "a pillar of stability and a steadfast guardian of democracy."
Widespread Demands for Justice and Asset Recovery
Roman Catholic churches nationwide played a central role in mobilising supporters for Sunday’s anti-corruption protests. The main daylong rally was held at a pro-democracy "people power" monument on EDSA highway in the capital region. Police estimated that about 5,000 demonstrators, many wearing white, had gathered by noon.
Protesters are demanding that members of Congress, government officials, and construction company owners behind thousands of anomalous flood control projects be imprisoned and forced to return the stolen government money. The sentiment was captured bluntly on one protester's t-shirt: "No mercy for the greedy."
The scandal came to the fore after President Marcos raised the alarm in his state of the nation address in July. Since then, at least seven public works officers have been jailed for the illegal use of public funds and graft charges related to just one flood control project anomaly. Authorities are also seeking executives from the involved construction firm, Sunwest Corp.
In a significant development last Friday, Henry Alcantara, a former government engineer, returned 110 million pesos (£1.5 million) in kickbacks that he admitted under oath to having stolen. Justice officials confirmed he has promised to return more funds in the coming weeks.
President Marcos has stated that authorities have frozen approximately 12 billion pesos (£165 million) worth of assets belonging to suspects in the flood control anomalies. He has publicly pledged that many of the at least 37 powerful senators, members of Congress, and wealthy construction executives implicated will be in jail by Christmas.
However, protesters at Sunday's rallies insist that justice must come sooner for many more officials, including implicated senators and House of Representatives members. They demand these individuals be jailed and ordered to return the funds they allegedly stole and used to finance private jets, luxury cars, mansions, and extravagant lifestyles.
