Thousands protest in Philippines over state corruption, more than 200 arrested
The demonstrations were sparked by a scandal that emerged in July, alleging that lawmakers and officials had received massive kickbacks from flood control contracts, while critical infrastructure projects failed to materialise
Tens of thousands of Filipinos took to the streets across the country yesterday (21 September) to protest against widespread government corruption, following allegations that billions of dollars intended for flood relief projects have been misappropriated.
The protests, which saw a diverse coalition of students, church groups, and ordinary citizens, were largely peaceful, though some clashes with police resulted in dozens of injuries, reports The Guardian.
The demonstrations were sparked by a scandal that emerged in July, alleging that lawmakers and officials had received massive kickbacks from flood control contracts, while critical infrastructure projects failed to materialise.
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According to government estimates, The Guardian reports that corruption in these projects has cost the Philippine economy as much as £1.48 billion over the last two years.
Greenpeace offered a more dire assessment, claiming over £13 billion was siphoned from climate-related projects in 2023 alone.
The Philippines is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to natural disasters, experiencing an average of 20 tropical cyclones annually. The corruption allegations have stirred deep public outrage, especially after monsoon rains and storms left millions of people in inundated towns and cities.
Arrest tally grows
Police in the Philippine capital arrested more than 200 people during clashes with masked protesters that erupted on a day of largely peaceful anti-corruption demonstrations, a spokesperson said today (22 September).
At least 88 minors were among the initial count of 216 taken into custody yesterday as police deployed water cannons and deafening sirens against crowds of mostly young, rock-throwing protesters, reports BSS via AFP.
Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno said a 12-year-old boy was the youngest detained.
But yesterday's street battles, which saw multiple police vehicles set ablaze and the windows of a precinct headquarters shattered, threatened to overshadow demonstrations that had been filled with families, activists, clergy and politicians.
"So far, none of them are saying the reasons behind their actions or if somebody paid them to do it," regional police spokesperson Major Hazel Asilo told AFP.
"As soon as we know their affiliations, we can know if they were part of the protesters or if they were just causing trouble," she added.
According to a statement released today by the department of health, about 50 people were brought to a single Manila hospital following the clashes.
Another police spokesperson, Major Philipp Ines, said 93 officers had been injured yesterday, while adding the number of arrested could yet rise as people were still being processed.
Rage over the so-called ghost infrastructure projects has been mounting in the Southeast Asian country since President Ferdinand Marcos put them centre stage in a July state of the nation address that followed weeks of deadly flooding.
The Department of Finance has estimated the Philippine economy lost up to 118.5 billion pesos ($2 billion) from 2023 to 2025 due to corruption in flood control projects.
Greenpeace has suggested the number is actually closer to $18 billion.
The Philippines was expecting heavy flooding today as Super Typhoon Ragasa bore down on the country's northernmost provinces.
The archipelago nation is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, putting millions of people in disaster-prone areas in a state of constant poverty.
