Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is facing the largest street uprising of his presidency after more than half a million Filipinos flooded Manila demanding accountability for a ballooning corruption scandal that has morphed into a full-blown political crisis.
The three-day mobilisation, led by the influential Iglesia Ni Cristo sect, marks a stunning break from the group that once helped sweep Marcos into power.
While the INC denies joining calls for his ouster, its presence on the streets underscores a dangerous shift: the scandal is no longer about “ghost” flood-control projects, but the unraveling alliance between Marcos and his estranged deputy, Sara Duterte.
At the heart of public fury are revelations that billions of dollars earmarked for flood-control infrastructure were siphoned off through rigged contracts, kickbacks and political patronage networks.
Congressional hearings have laid bare a system where as much as 30 percent of these funds allegedly vanished into graft schemes. Only a fraction of the suspect assets has been frozen.
The scandal has become ammunition in the escalating power struggle between Marcos and the Duterte camp, who now openly back a movement pushing for his removal before 2028.
The administration has dismissed accusations linking Marcos to the scheme as desperate speculation, but televised testimonies and weeks of political theater have already hardened public anger.
