Protestas contra la corrupción dejan más de 200 detenidos en Filipinas - teleSUR
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Un total de 216 personas fueron detenidas durante las movilizaciones, que reunieron a decenas de miles de personas opuestas a los escándalos de corrupción vinculados a proyectos de control de inundaciones.

A total of 216 people were arrested during the protests, which brought together tens of thousands of people opposed to corruption scandals linked to flood control projects.

Mass anti-corruption protests in the Philippines , which took place Sunday in Manila and other locations, led to clashes between protesters and security forces, leaving 216 people arrested , authorities said.

Home Secretary Jonvic Remulla explained at a press conference that 127 adults and 89 minors were among those arrested . He added that 95 officers were injured , some of them seriously.

The incidents occurred when a crowd gathered in the historic Luneta Park, where official figures show some 49,000 people , attempted to advance toward the Malacañang presidential palace. According to media reports, a group of protesters threw Molotov cocktails at a vehicle blocking access on a bridge, prompting police to respond with water cannons to disperse the crowd.

“Only when the mob threw Molotov cocktails did the police respond, crossing the line and endangering lives ,” Remulla said.

Remulla described those arrested in the clashes—including a significant number of minors—as people trying to spark a series of violent protests, similar to those that have recently occurred in countries like Indonesia and Nepal.

For his part, Renato Reyes, leader of the leftist organization Bayan , pointed out that those responsible for the violent acts did not belong to the group that organized the demonstration.

The protests, which drew tens of thousands of people across the country, focused on corruption scandals linked to flood control projects .

According to Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, these “ghost” contracts , executed with poor quality or never completed, have generated losses of more than 1.7 billion euros (more than 1.99 billion dollars) for the State over the last two years.

Every year, the Philippines is hit by around twenty typhoons . In 2024, the country faced an unusual event with six consecutive tropical storms in less than a month, leaving at least 164 dead.

The lawsuits related to corruption cases have already had political repercussions : House Speaker Martin Romualdez resigned, while Senate President Francis Escudero was removed from office last week after his ties to one of the contractors under investigation became known.