Protesters flood streets of Philippines over state corruption

Following claims that taxpayers have lost billions of dollars to fraudulent flood relief programs, tens of thousands of Filipinos demonstrated against government corruption on Sunday.

In Manila and other cities, the streets were crowded with students, church organizations, celebrities, and people from various political parties.

Important projects meant to shield the nation from flood devastation have not been completed, and lawmakers and officials are accused of pocketing enormous payments in exchange for contracts.

According to Philippine official estimates, corruption in flood control projects may have cost the nation’s economy up to £1.48 billion in the past two years. According to Greenpeace, the cost is much higher, with almost £13 billion diverted from climate-related projects in 2023.

At a time when monsoon rains and storms had flooded towns and cities, forcing millions of people to suffer, the accusations initially surfaced in July and have since shook the nation. The Philippines is one of the nations most susceptible to natural disasters, with an average of 20 tropical storms annually.

“Our purpose is not to destabilise but to strengthen our democracy,” Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said in a statement, calling on the public to demand accountability.

Protests were largely peaceful, though police arrested 72 people, including 20 minors, in two separate incidents.

At least 39 officers were injured, and a trailer that was being used as a barricade was set ablaze, according to a spokesperson. Maj Hazel Asilo told AFP that it was unclear whether those arrested were “protesters or just people who are causing trouble”.

A morning demonstration at a park in Manila drew nearly 50,000 people, according to city estimates, while thousands more joined an afternoon rally at the capital’s EDSA thoroughfare.

“They are draining the people’s money while citizens suffer from floods, their homes being swept away, while officials ride private planes, live in mansions,” Manuel Dela Cerna, 58, told AFP.

Protesters have demanded the recovery of embezzled money and the imprisonment of those responsible.  The demonstrations mirror indignation over perceived government corruption and inequality in other Asian countries, such as Indonesia, where protests recently broke out over privileges granted to politicians, and Nepal, where a Gen Z-led protest movement overthrew the government last month.

In his yearly state of the nation address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. disclosed the flood-control corruption issue and subsequently formed an independent panel to look into the claims.

The demonstrations on Sunday took place on a momentous occasion: on September 21, 1972, martial law was implemented by President Marcos’s father and namesake, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He allegedly embezzled up to $10 billion over his 14 further years in office.

Marcos Jr. pledged that “no sacred cows” will be spared in the investigation into the flooding scandal. As a result of the incident, Marcos Jr.’s cousin Martin Romualdez, the house speaker, and Senate President Francis Escudero have resigned.