Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Manila on Sunday for a protest against alleged widespread corruption in government flood-control projects. The multi-day rally, organized by groups including the Iglesia Ni Cristo church, calls for accountability from officials implicated in a scandal involving billions of pesos for projects reported to be substandard or non-existent.
Police estimated that approximately 27,000 people assembled in Manila’s Rizal Park on the morning of Nov. 16, 2025, with many carrying signs calling for an end to corruption. The Philippine National Police said it would deploy 15,000 officers to provide security for the demonstrations.
Edwin Zabala, a spokesman for Iglesia Ni Cristo, said the event was organized to express the church’s “sentiment and lend the voice of the Iglesia ni Cristo to the calls of many of our countrymen condemning the enormous evil involving many government officials.” A separate protest by other groups was also scheduled at the People Power Monument.
The demonstrations follow a government investigation into the country’s flood-control infrastructure spending. The Department of Finance has estimated that the country lost up to 118.5 billion pesos ($2 billion) to corruption in flood-control initiatives between 2023 and 2025. Some of the disputed works have been referred to as “ghost infrastructure projects.”
In response to its findings, a fact-finding commission has filed criminal complaints for corruption against 37 people, including senators, members of Congress, and businesspeople. Complaints have also been filed against 86 construction company executives and nine government officials for alleged tax evasion totaling nearly 9 billion pesos ($153 million).
Among the high-profile officials whose names have been linked to the allegations are House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.; Senate President Chiz Escudero; and Senator Bong Go, an ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte. All three have denied any wrongdoing.
President Marcos Jr. has addressed the scandal, stating that those implicated would be jailed. Regarding Romualdez, Marcos said his cousin would not face criminal charges “as yet” due to a lack of evidence but affirmed that “no one is exempt” from the investigation. “We don’t file cases for optics,” Marcos said. “We file cases to put people in jail.”
Amid the protests, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reaffirmed its support for the government. AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. responded to isolated calls for the military to withdraw its support for the Marcos administration.
“With full conviction, I assure the public that the armed forces will not engage in any action that violates the Constitution,” Brawner said in a statement. He added that the military “remains steadfast in preserving peace, supporting lawful civic expression and protecting the stability and democratic institutions of the republic.”
