Credited from: TRTGLOBAL
On Sunday, protests in Manila against alleged corruption turned violent, resulting in the death of one man and over 200 arrests. Authorities reported that 216 individuals were apprehended, including 89 minors, while more than 90 police officers sustained injuries during clashes with demonstrators. The unrest followed widespread outrage over mass fraud linked to flood-control projects worth more than $9.5 billion, according to LA Times, AA, and TRT Global.
The protests escalated as some individuals turned violent, reportedly attacking police with stones and setting city properties on fire, including motorcycles and a budget hotel. Officials noted that 48 injured individuals were treated at hospitals, amidst claims of a stabbed man who later died, although police denied that stab wounds resulted from the protests. These incidents underline the tensions stemming from allegations around ghost flood control projects, revealed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his July address, as reported by Al Jazeera and TRT Global.
Protesters gathered in significant numbers, with estimates of around 80,000 participants expressing their anger over corruption within the government. Their demands included accountability from politicians involved in the fraudulent projects, the release of financial declarations, and the signing of bank secrecy waivers by government officials. Local sentiments reflected a growing frustration over perceived systemic corruption, pointing towards a future of likely escalated protests, according to LA Times, AA, and Al Jazeera.