00:00Thousands of people took to the streets in the Philippines this Sunday in a massive protest
00:25against corruption. Demonstrators, including members of the Roman Catholic clergy, gathered
00:31in the capital, Manila, demanding swift action against top legislators and officials implicated
00:37in a widespread scandal. Left-wing groups also held a separate rally in the city's main park,
00:48calling for all involved officials to resign immediately and face justice.
00:55The protests come amid public outrage over corruption linked to defective or non-existent
01:03flood control projects that have left many communities vulnerable to deadly floods and
01:09extreme weather. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been scrambling to address these issues,
01:19promising accountability as the government faces intense scrutiny.
01:24More than 17,000 police officers were deployed to secure Manila, with key roads and bridges
01:32blocked near the presidential palace. The Malacanan Complex was put on lockdown, with anti-riot
01:41police, trucks and barbed wire in place. The Philippines, a nation with a history of political
01:48turmoil, including two presidents overthrown in the last two decades, has seen isolated calls for the
01:55military to withdraw support from Marcos.
01:57But the armed forces of the Philippines rejected such calls, reassuring the public that they remain a pillar
02:08of stability and guardian of democracy. Roman Catholic churches helped lead Sunday's anti-corruption rallies,
02:16with the main gathering held at a People Power Monument along Edza Highway.
02:25About 5,000 demonstrators, most wearing white, participated by midday. Protestors demanded that members
02:33of Congress, officials and construction company owners be imprisoned and forced to return government funds
02:41stolen from flood control projects. One demonstrator wore a shirt with the blunt message,
02:50no mercy for the greedy. Since July, at least seven public works officers have been jailed for illegal use of funds
02:59in one flood control project alone. Former government engineer Henry Alcantara returned 110 million pesos,
03:10about 1.9 million dollars, in kickbacks, promising to return more.
03:21Authorities have frozen assets worth 12 billion pesos, around 206 million dollars, the longing to suspects
03:30involved in the scandal. President Marcos has promised that many of the 37 impacted senators, congress members,
03:39and business executives will be in jail by Christmas. Protesters, however, say that justice must come faster,
03:50and that more officials should be held accountable, returning funds spent on luxury cars, private jets,
03:57and mansions. The rallies show a country vigilant and determined to fight corruption and protect democracy,
04:06even in the face of powerful interests.
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