Hundreds of thousands protest corruption scandal in Manila
Protest groups in the Philippines have reacted to revelations that thousands of flood defence projects across one of the world's most typhoon-hit countries were substandard, incomplete or did not exist.
Manila (dpa) - Hundreds of thousands of people on Sunday joined a three-day protest rally In the Philippine capital to denounce a corruption scandal that has implicated top government officials, including allies of President Ferdinand Marcos.
The rally, organized by an independent Christian church (INC) in the Philippines, was so far the largest mass protest against the corruption scandal that erupted earlier this year. It is expected to take place until Tuesday at a national park in Manila City.
Police estimated that 550,000 people attended the rally in Rizal Park on Sunday, according to the Manila City Public Information Office.
Call for truth
“We come together not to meddle in politics, but to stand with our fellow Filipinos who are calling for truth after more than 100 days of unanswered wrongdoings,” organizers said in a Facebook post showing a live shot of the rally in Rizal Park.
“This peaceful movement demands a thorough, fair, and constitutional investigation - because corruption has harmed every Filipino, yet no one has been held accountable,” it added.
“Our presence today is a declaration that justice matters, that integrity in public office matters, and that democracy only works when leaders respect the people they serve.”
The protesters, who are mainly INC members, carried placards and signs calling for accountability and justice for those involved in the scandal.
“Return the money of the people; jail the corrupt!”, “Justice! Not just tiis (Endure)!”, “Transparency, not conspiracy” and “Don’t bend the law.”
Focus on government flood projects
The corruption scandal centres on anomalies involving government-funded flood-control projects worth over 500 billion pesos ($9 billion), whose private contractors allegedly pocketed the money by "constructing" ghost projects or producing low-quality work in many areas that are now suffering from floods.
Whistleblowers in congressional investigations have implicated some legislators in the anomalies, alleging they received kickbacks from project contractors.