Hundreds of thousands rallied in Manila to demand accountability after investigators found thousands of flawed or nonexistent flood‑control projects. Testimony before a Senate inquiry and an independent commission alleges kickbacks involving lawmakers, public‑works officials and contractors, allegations the accused deny. About 650,000 Iglesia Ni Cristo members joined a three‑day protest at Rizal Park while authorities deployed police and the military and placed the presidential palace on lockdown. President Marcos says criminal complaints have been filed against dozens and vows more arrests before Christmas.
Massive Manila Rally Demands Accountability After Flood‑Control Corruption Scandal
Hundreds of thousands rallied in Manila to demand accountability after investigators found thousands of flawed or nonexistent flood‑control projects. Testimony before a Senate inquiry and an independent commission alleges kickbacks involving lawmakers, public‑works officials and contractors, allegations the accused deny. About 650,000 Iglesia Ni Cristo members joined a three‑day protest at Rizal Park while authorities deployed police and the military and placed the presidential palace on lockdown. President Marcos says criminal complaints have been filed against dozens and vows more arrests before Christmas.
02:47 PM, 11/16/2025Politics
MANILA, Philippines — Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos converged in the capital on Sunday in the largest demonstration to date calling for accountability over a flood‑control corruption scandal that has implicated influential lawmakers and senior government officials.
The protests follow investigators’ findings that thousands of flood‑defense projects across one of the world’s most typhoon‑prone countries were substandard, unfinished or never built. Government engineers, public‑works officials and construction executives have testified under oath before the Senate and an independent fact‑finding commission that some members of Congress and officials at the Department of Public Works and Highways accepted kickbacks from contractors to win lucrative contracts and avoid scrutiny. Most of those accused have denied wrongdoing.
Police said about 650,000 members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) joined the start of a three‑day rally Sunday at Rizal Park despite intermittent rain. Many of the participants wore white shirts and carried anti‑corruption signs. Separately, roughly 2,000 people — including several retired generals — staged an anti‑corruption protest at the People Power monument in suburban Quezon City.
“These thieves have made us very outraged because we pay our taxes and these officials just plunder the treasury and rob us of our future,” said Rachel Morte, 41, from Pampanga province. “We hope we’ll get justice and the stolen money will be returned to the people.”
Iglesia is an influential voting bloc in the Philippines and is frequently courted by candidates during elections.
Authorities, backed by the military, deployed thousands of personnel to secure the weekend demonstrations. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the rallies remained peaceful. National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. instructed officers to show "maximum tolerance" during Sunday’s events.
Security remained tight in and around Malacañang Palace: the presidential compound was placed on lockdown over the weekend and major access routes were blocked with anti‑riot police, cargo containers and barbed wire. The heightened security followed a violent Sept. 21 protest in which a few hundred black‑clad demonstrators threw rocks, bottles and firebombs at police near the palace, injuring more than 100 officers; authorities have filed criminal complaints against 97 people in connection with that incident.
President vows arrests and prosecutions
Flood control is an especially sensitive issue in the Philippines, which is frequently battered by typhoons, floods and extreme weather. Two recent typhoons killed at least 259 people earlier this month, mainly from flash floods and landslides, and affected millions more.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has sought to calm public anger and pledged action. He said an independent fact‑finding commission he created has filed criminal complaints for graft, corruption and plunder against 37 suspects and that more arrests are expected before Christmas. Prosecutors have also filed complaints against 86 construction executives and nine government officials accused of evading nearly 9 billion pesos (about $152 million) in taxes.
Those accused include lawmakers both allied with and opposed to Marcos — among them former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the president’s cousin and close ally, and former Senate President Chiz Escudero. Both have denied wrongdoing. Senator Bong Go, a longtime ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte, has also been named in allegations related to flood‑control and other infrastructure projects; he denies the charges.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte has faced scrutiny from the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands over allegations connected to his anti‑drug campaign. Duterte’s daughter, the current vice president, has called for Marcos to be held accountable and even jailed for approving the 2025 national budget that allocates billions for flood‑control projects.
There have been isolated calls, including from some Duterte supporters, for the military to withdraw its backing for Marcos. Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. has repeatedly rejected that option, saying the military will not engage in unconstitutional actions.
Reporting contributed by Aaron Favila in Manila.