MANILA: Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte (pic) said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is facing a "crisis of confidence” amid a deepening corruption scandal as day two of an anti-graft rally drew hundreds of thousands of protesters.
Duterte, whose ties with Marcos collapsed around policy differences after they won on a joint ticket in 2022, said she understands the public anger over no one being held to account for widespread corruption involving projects that should have alleviated flooding in one of the world’s disaster-prone nations.
"The President now faces a profound crisis of confidence, especially in the way these corruption investigations are being handled, which appear to lack both direction and resolve,” Duterte said in a video posted on her Facebook account.
"We also seek clear answers on how a budget that deprived Filipinos of billions and billions of pesos was approved under his watch.”
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro noted that Marcos himself led the investigation on the corruption scandal, something that wasn’t done during the administration of Sara Duterte’s father, former leader Rodrigo Duterte.
Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said in a statement that the nation isn’t "blind to the challenges, nor are we shaken by them.”
"What you see today is not a leadership crisis, but a government reforming itself from within, led by a President who chose to be the whistleblower, not the apologist, of corruption,” he said.
The unfolding graft scandal has gripped Filipinos since Marcos first exposed the misuse of state funds in July. It’s also gutted investor confidence in the nation, causing economic growth to slump in the third quarter, weakening the peso and decimating the stock market.
This week’s mass protests, backed by an influential religious group, add to pressure on the Marcos administration to prosecute those involved.
Duterte’s comments come after a former lawmaker at the centre of some of the allegations over the weekend accused Marcos of receiving 25 billion pesos (US$423 million) in kickbacks from projects spending that the president had allegedly ordered to be included in the 2025 budget.
Ex-Congressman Zaldy Co, who previously headed the House of Representatives’ appropriation committee, is implicated in the scheme to pocket funds for flood infrastructure but has said he didn’t benefit from it. Marcos’ office called the accusation "propaganda.”
Duterte made the comments as more than 200,000 members of Iglesia ni Cristo gathered for a second day at the historic Rizal Park in Manila.
The sea of people, many wearing white shirts printed with Transparency for a Better Democracy, converged early again on Monday, with thousands having camped out after Sunday’s gathering, which drew 650,000.
Many pitched tents provided by the church, brought their own food or set up cooking stoves. Others took a nap on floor mats or in parked cars as live bands played pop songs on stage.
At the park’s grandstand, videos of church members speaking out against corruption, including their experiences on widespread flooding and unfinished projects to mitigate them, play continuously.
Student Jolito Asmolo travelled hundreds of kilometres from Aringay, a coastal municipality in the province of La Union north of Manila, with friends to join the protest.
"We’re here to take back the money that was stolen so the Philippines can be a better nation. The guilty should be jailed,” he said.
Benigno de Guzman, 78, shared similar sentiments, recalling how a village in his hometown was recently hit by typhoon Fung-Wong, destroying crops.
"There’s no need to replace those in government as long as they do a better job,” said de Guzman, speaking in front of a makeshift tent where he spent the night.
A separate rally, organised by a group led by retired military officers and known supporters of the Duterte family, was also underway Monday at the People Power Monument along the main EDSA highway. It drew about 2,000 participants, according to police. The rallyists carried tarpaulins with "Marcos Resign Now” emblazoned on them.
Iglesia ni Cristo, widely known for voting as a bloc during elections, supported the Marcos-Duterte tandem. It plans to conclude the three-day rally on Tuesday.
"We should be ashamed,” said 40-year old Ronald Lara over lunch with other church members beside their parked vans in a street near the protest grounds. "We’re big news around the world because of corruption.” - Bloomberg
