MANILA (Realist English). Philippine police said Sunday they arrested 49 people after violent clashes outside the presidential palace, where demonstrators hurled rocks, bottles and firebombs at officers and blocked access roads and bridges. The incident unfolded as more than 33,000 others joined peaceful anti-corruption rallies at Manila’s Rizal Park and the Democracy Monument.
Authorities reported around 70 officers injured in the hours-long melee, which involved roughly 100 people armed with clubs, waving flags and carrying anti-graft posters. The group sprayed graffiti, toppled posts, smashed glass panels and ransacked a budget inn before dispersing after nightfall. Tear gas was used to restore order, and schools were suspended in affected districts.
The protests were triggered by revelations of massive corruption in flood-control projects worth more than 545 billion pesos ($9.5 billion). Investigators allege lawmakers, officials and contractors siphoned off huge kickbacks, particularly in flood-prone provinces such as Bulacan.
Outrage intensified after a wealthy couple tied to the scandal publicly displayed their collection of luxury cars — including a British model worth 42 million pesos ($737,000) — during television interviews.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who in July described the corruption as “horrible,” has formed an independent commission to examine nearly 10,000 projects approved since mid-2022. He accepted the resignation of his public works secretary amid the fallout.
While the violence erupted near Malacañang Palace, it remained unclear whether the attackers were linked to the peaceful marches or if Marcos was inside at the time. Police described the situation as “contained” but warned vandalism and disorder would not be tolerated.
Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, urged Filipinos to continue peaceful demonstrations, saying the purpose was “not to destabilize but to strengthen our democracy.”
Student activist Althea Trinidad, who traveled from Bulacan, voiced frustration: “We wallow in poverty and lose our homes, while they rake in fortunes from our taxes to fund luxury cars and foreign trips.”
