Thousands protest in Philippines over flood-control corruption scandal

MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of protesters took to the streets in the capital on Sunday to vent anger over a sprawling corruption scandal tied to flood-control projects that officials and businesspeople allegedly fueled with kickbacks.

Police deployed thousands of officers and troops to secure demonstrations at a historic Manila park and near a democracy monument along the EDSA highway, as organizers aimed to mount one of the largest anti-corruption protests in recent years. The United States and Australia issued travel advisories urging citizens to avoid the events. Protesters waved Philippine flags and carried banners calling for accountability, while student activist Althea Trinidad, from Bulacan, said the protests seek a system where people are not abused. The protest was estimated by police to attract about 8,000 people by midday.

Some of the attention surrounding the case intensified after a wealthy couple who ran several construction firms appeared in media interviews with dozens of luxury cars in the fleet, including a British car valued at 42 million pesos that they described as purchased because it came with a free umbrella.

In a televised Senate inquiry, the couple, Sarah and Pacifico Discaya, were identified as among those who allegedly pressed officials for large kickbacks to win flood-control contracts. They named at least 17 House of Representatives lawmakers and public works officials who were said to have demanded kickbacks, though all deny wrongdoing and face ongoing probes. Two prominent senators were implicated in a separate inquiry. Senate President Francis Escudero and House Speaker Martin Romualdez both stepped down in the widening fallout as the two chambers confront mounting investigations.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said three engineers were dismissed and 15 others were being investigated; all face criminal complaints and their bank accounts, houses, cars and other assets will be frozen, according to officials.

Organizers said the protests would denounce corrupt public works officials, lawmakers and owners of construction companies, and a system that enables such corruption, but they would not call for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to resign.

Marcos first highlighted the flood-control corruption in July in his annual State of the Nation address. He later established an independent commission to investigate what he said were anomalies in many of the 9,855 flood-control projects worth more than 545 billion pesos ($9.5 billion) that were supposed to have been undertaken since he took office in mid-2022. He called the scale of corruption horrible and accepted the resignation of Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon.

The protests come as the country remains prone to floods and depends on large-scale infrastructure spending to mitigate disasters, a reality that has driven public scrutiny of the programs and the contracts awarded to private firms. Authorities say the investigations aim to uncover the breadth of the kickbacks and ensure accountability, while organizers emphasize peaceful demonstrations and the goal of democracy and reform.