Hundreds of Thousands Join Protests in Philippines Against Corruption

Hundreds of thousands of people are conducting massive protests in the Philippines against a recent corruption scandal that the people blame for widespread deaths after heavy flooding this year.

The largest demonstrations took place in the capital of Manila, a city of around 14 million people, after the testimony of two construction company owners revealed the nature of a deeply-rooted corruption scheme within the Filipino government.

The couple disclosed that 17 members of the country's House of Representatives had forced them to pay 25% kickbacks on flood-control projects that were under construction. Kickbacks are a common form of corruption where a legislator or other official receives additional fees from another person to secure a contract and give them "preferential treatment," preventing another party from bidding higher for the contract. Usually, both sides are at fault in a kickback scheme, but a thorough investigation in court is still ongoing.

When this information was made public, it sparked outrage among the Filipino people, who began blaming the corruption scandal for the devastation caused by flooding this year. Typhoons and monsoons have led to intense rainfall in recent years, forcing the Philippines to spend almost $10 billion on flood-control projects within the last three years. However, the legislators' kickback scheme likely allowed them to pocket a significant portion of this money.

Furthermore, others were left fuming that their taxes had been traveling straight towards the lavish lifestyles of these representatives, while they battle the effects of climate change and continue to struggle through periodic flooding.

In fact, even the Roman Catholic Church has called for Filipinos to take action, spurring them forward in their protests against corruption. Some people continue to call for the kickbacks to be returned, while others have demanded the resignation of various officials– including their president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The police are already attempting to take control of the situation, with demonstrations beginning to get out of hand.

Now, the court faces the issue of which representatives are at fault, which they are currently investigating. According to AP, Marcos Jr. has stated that they have already arrested 37 people on different counts of graft, corruption, and plunder, in addition to charging at least 86 construction company executives and nine other government officials with tax evasion.

Seven officials have already been placed in jail, and authorities are working with the construction companies involved in the scandal to attempt to recoup some of the kickbacks they have lost.

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Image credit to AFP