Thousands of Filipinos joined marches in Manila and other areas in the country on Sunday, protesting against what organizers say is widespread corruption within the government.
The largely peaceful rallies appear to be the biggest since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in July that many government flood-control projects had become a source of kickbacks. Corruption has long been a problem in the Southeast Asian nation, but the claim it involved state programs meant to mitigate flooding in one of the world’s disaster-prone nations struck a chord with many citizens.
“While there are people who suffer from the storms and floods, there are those allegedly involved in corruption in these projects who are flaunting their rich lifestyles on social media,” Francis Aquino Dee, one of the protest leaders, told local TV station GMA News.
