Filipinos Demand Radical Change as Flood-Control Project Corruption Protests Spread Across the Philippines

Thousands of Filipinos gathered in Manila and across the country on Sunday as mass protests intensified over a sprawling flood-control corruption scandal. In the capital, tens of thousands clogged Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, the city’s main thoroughfare known as EDSA, with many participants wearing white or white ribbons and calling for accountability and radical change as flood-prone communities contend with another season of storms and flooding.

Participants included priests, students, health workers, cyclists, and urban poor groups, with demonstrations spilling into Rizal Park and near the presidential complex. A youth-led march near the presidential residence turned chaotic when a trailer truck was set ablaze and masked youths pelted police with stones. Authorities responded with water cannons as they attempted to disperse the crowd.

Sept. 21 carries a long historical memory for Filipinos: it marks the date in 1972 when Ferdinand Marcos Sr. declared martial law and suspended civil rights, a chapter that culminated in a two-decade period of authoritarian rule. The anniversary is also tied to the 1986 People Power movement that ousted Marcos’s successor in a largely peaceful transition. In 2025, however, the protests are directed at alleged abuses in the management of flood-control projects and the alleged siphoning of public funds, a different form of power struggle that has rekindled a national mood for accountability.

The flood-control corruption scandal has become a testing ground for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has signaled openness to reform and new oversight. Since the scandal began to surface, the administration has moved to audit flood-control works, establish an independent panel to investigate alleged graft, and conduct lifestyle checks on public officials. Officials say the audits aim to identify and prosecute those responsible for misusing funds, while ensuring that flood-management projects meet technical standards and deliver real protection for vulnerable communities.

The audit of flood-control spending has produced striking figures: the government spent roughly 545 billion pesos on flood-management initiatives since Marcos Jr. took office in 2022, encompassing some 9,855 projects. The findings indicated that about 20% of these projects were handled by only 15 contractors, and roughly two-thirds of projects lacked key building details. The disclosure has widened the public’s perception that large sums were disbursed with inadequate oversight, fueling calls for accountability and reforms in how infrastructure procurement is managed.

In the weeks leading up to the protests, a court freeze targeted 135 bank accounts tied to several flood-control projects, signaling the judiciary’s involvement in the larger probe. The financial actions, along with the audit results, have intensified scrutiny of congressional insiders and public contractors believed to be linked to the projects.

The political impact has been swift. The Senate, which had been conducting hearings on the contracts, underwent leadership changes in early September, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez—cousin of the president—stepped down later in the month amid pressure tied to the same network of contractors and witnesses connected to the investigations. The shake-ups have underscored the volatile alignment between public accountability and political power in Manila and have raised questions about what comes next for lawmakers facing exposure or potential sanctions.

Experts say the scale of the anti-corruption effort is likely to galvanize civic action, but the movement could lose steam if tangible consequences do not follow. Political analyst Richard Heydarian notes that while the case has deepened public demand for accountability, the Philippines faces the risk that reforms could stall unless prosecutions and reforms are perceived as credible and irreversible. Sociologist Athena Charanne Presto cautions that the momentum could dissipate if public officials who are implicated escape punishment, particularly ahead of the next electoral cycle. A veteran lawmaker in the protests, Rep. Jose Manuel Diokno, has framed the case as a long-standing grievance that now demands accountability and consequences for those found at fault.

Even as protests surge, observers caution against assuming a simple path to change. Heydarian highlights a difference between Indonesia’s current dynamics and the Philippine context, where the president appears more reform-minded and capable of leveraging openings for governance reform, but where entrenched political and business interests could still impede meaningful reckoning. Presto points to the broader social media-driven demand for transparency and the danger that disillusionment could grow if results do not materialize. The discourse around the protests also intersects with debates on the so-called nepo baby phenomenon, as efforts to scrutinize wealth and connections expose a wider set of political and economic power players connected to the flood-control program—raising the stakes for how accountability is pursued in the years ahead.

Analysts say the immediate question is whether the investigations will yield prosecutions and whether any officials or contractors will face meaningful penalties. Without visible consequences, they warn, the movement could lose its bite and fuel a sense that accountability remains elusive, undermining public trust ahead of future elections. In the meantime, communities affected by floods continue to press for timely, transparent action to repair and strengthen flood-management infrastructure and to ensure that public funds are used to protect lives and livelihoods rather than enrich a few.

The protests come as climate vulnerability remains a defining challenge for the Philippines. The country sits along the Pacific typhoon belt and experiences regular flooding causing substantial damage to homes and agriculture. The flood-control episode underscores the broader tension between urgent infrastructure needs and the risk of corruption in public works, a dynamic that experts say will shape the country’s political and policy landscape in the months and years ahead.

The chapter also echoes similar anti-corruption currents seen in other Asian democracies, where youth-led mobilizations and online mobilization have become central to demanding accountability from officials and contractors linked to public works. Observers say the Philippines could serve as a bellwether for how a reform-minded administration can respond to mass protests without resorting to repression, while still delivering tangible reform and robust oversight.