Widespread protests broke out in the Philippines as public outrage grew over rampant government corruption.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched from the EDSA Shrine and arrived at the People Power Monument in Metro Manila on Saturday, September 13, around 10 am.

The group included organisations such as Bayan NCR, Anakbayan, Kabataan, and Panday Sining. They demanded accountability from officials and contractors involved in the allegedly fraudulent flood control projects throughout the country.

The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) reported that the event concluded peacefully around noon.

Authorities estimated the crowd to be around 300 participants.

Similar protests broke out across Metro Manila as outrage mounted over anomalous flood control projects in the perennially storm-battered nation.

They followed revelations by construction contractor Sarah Discaya, who told the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee last week that she owns 28 luxury vehicles, including a Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Maybach, Bentley, and Mercedes G63.

She denied involvement in so-called 'ghost projects' and said she began securing contracts from the DPWH in 2012. She also revealed she owns nine construction firms.

President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr - himself the son of a dictator who stole some 10 billion USD from the country - has ordered a full audit of the DPWH flood control initiatives, along with lifestyle checks on officials and public disclosure of projects.

The directive came after reports of corruption, ghost projects, and disproportionate contract awards linked to flood control programmes since 2022.

Local media reported that more than 6,000 flood control projects worth 350 billion PHP (approximately 4.9 billion GBP) lacked essential details, raising concerns over transparency in government infrastructure spending.

At least 15 contractors are now under investigation after cornering a combined 545 billion PHP (approximately 7.63 billion GBP) program budget.