Philippine protesters rally against trillion‑peso corruption scandal

November 30, 2025 - 18:19

Tens of thousands of people have marched in the Philippine capital, Manila, demanding President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s resignation over a corruption scandal linked to government spending on flood-control infrastructure, Al Jazeera reported Sunday.

The rally, organized by the Kilusang Bayan Kontra-Kurakot or the People’s Movement Against Corruption (KBKK), began at the Luneta National Park in Manila on Sunday, with protesters marching on to the presidential palace.

Some carried an effigy of Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte, depicting the politicians as crocodiles and dubbed the “corrupt-codile”, while others held signs that read “Marcos Resign” and “All corrupt politicians must be held accountable”.

Organizers said they estimated the crowd to be more than 20,000.

It is the last display of public anger over the “Trillion-Peso” scandal, in which powerful politicians, including Marcos’s allies, are accused of pocketing billions of pesos in bribes for contracts on flood-control infrastructure that ended up being defective or were never built at all.

Extensive damage from two recent powerful typhoons, which killed more than 250 people, has spurred public outrage.

Two cabinet ministers have resigned over the scandal, while a former lawmaker accused in the case, Zaldy Co, has alleged that Marcos directed him to add $1.7bn to the budget for “dubious public works” while he headed an appropriations committee.

The president has denied the claims.