Anti-corruption protests in the Philippines
For the past two weeks there have been ongoing protests in Manila by citizens regarding flood control projects. What this corruption shows that yet again there is a point where people have had enough. The AP reported that the protesters “... expressed outrage over a corruption scandal involving lawmakers, officials and construction company owners who allegedly pocketed huge kickbacks from flood-control projects in the impoverished Southeast Asian country that is regularly buffeted by storms and typhoons.” Like so much corruption, there is a point where activists and the citizen express their concerns, be it through advocacy or through protests, which has occurred in many countries. This has been publicized in an ongoing way, highlighted by the revelations there have been kickbacks to government officials, as well as information regarding extremely expensive cars which the flood control contractors have as proof of improper use of government monies.
Why should we care and what should be done? At present, anytime there is anti-corruption protesting, it is heartening, as it shows that the population is aware of what the government should be doing with the citizens’ money and as well as having discovered the improper use of their money. The protests were mainly peaceful and allows the government to provide information regarding how they will remedy this problem. What does need to be done going forward, is to see the true impact of these protests, and monitor the work being done, and if these protests turn out to be a true a wakeup call for the Philippine government.
Links:
https://edition.cnn.com/philippines-anti-corruption-protest-digvid