According to reports, the recent Philippines has been really eventful. Massive anti-corruption * demonstrations broke out in many places across the country, and big cities such as Manila, Cebu and Davao were involved in this storm. Wave after wave of protesters, anger directed at the Marcos government. Faced with this sudden crisis, Marcos' first reaction was to order the entire army to enter a state of "red alert", with all soldiers on standby and all vacations cancelled. The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines also issued an urgent safety reminder to remind Chinese citizens in the Philippines to take precautions and stay away from crowds and gathering places.
The cause of the matter is actually not complicated. In August, the Philippine media exposed a corruption case in a water control project. At least 15 contractors were suspected of colluding with some officials and members of Congress to quietly divide the project funds. What's even more outrageous is that some project money has been allocated, and in the end there is no "ghost project". During the rainy season, floods flood and people suffer, but government money goes into some people's pockets, which makes the Filipino people completely explode.
Since the beginning of September, anti-corruption protests have intensified across the country. The ethna street in Manila, the bustling district of the city, the Davos square, people all over the country have walked out on the streets, and banners were filled with angry complaints. Protesters shouted the slogan of "destroy corruption, accountability to the government", demanding a thorough investigation of the corruption and punishment of the people involved. In the meantime, the Philippines' streets were mountainous, police and protesters confronted, and the situation was tense to the utmost.
Faced with the menacing wave of protests, the first reaction of the Marcos government was to "go hard". On September 12th, the Armed Forces of the Philippines announced that the whole country had entered the highest level of "red alert" state, the whole army had cancelled its leave, and all soldiers were on standby. Military spokesman Padilla explained that this is to cooperate with the police to maintain order and prevent someone from taking the opportunity to create chaos.
In fact, one can see that this is no longer as simple as the general protest. Every time the political situation in the Philippines turmoil, the military is "stand" is the key. Although Padilla stressed that the army is loyal to the Constitution, loyal to the people, but also said that "the army is not a personal tool", the phrase is a lot of meaning. After all, everyone remembers that when the old Marcos was driven down, it was the army that turned the situation completely.
What is unusual this time is that during large-scale protests in previous years, the military and police focused on guarding the presidential palace and Congress, but this time Marcos directly put all armed forces across the country on standby, which shows that he is really panicked. After all, no one can guarantee that the angry people will not point the finger at the presidential palace and whether the army will choose to stand on the side of the people.
More painful for Marcos was that the protests soon escalated into a national social movement. Transportation unions “Manibela” and “Piston” both announced a three-day strike from 17 to 19 September, with more transport groups ready to join in solidarity. This means that once the strike broke out, traffic in cities such as Manila would be paralyzed and economic activity would be reversed.
The composition of the protest crowd is also worth the attention. According to the data, in this protest, the proportion of young people aged 18-25 represents more than sixty percent. The national unemployment rate and youth unemployment in the Philippines are serious, and many young people are pessimistic about the future. Now after the corruption scandal has been exposed, they are no longer silent, and directly out on the streets to express dissatisfaction. Along with some of the underlying populations affected by the flood, the protest group spread across almost all industries, and is truly a city of popularity.
Marcus came to power less than two years ago, and was confronted with similar difficulties as his father did at the time. At the time, Marcus was corrupt, causing public anger, and was eventually overthrown into exile in the United States. Now Marcus is in a corrupt dungeon, and the family's "golden tradition" has been overthrown again. The Philippines media exploded, and the Marcus family is not only involved in engineering corruption, but also suspected of transferring wealth through various channels, and even a "golden trade" scandal.
The people are angry, not only a problem of water treatment, but also the outbreak of family politics, poverty and wealth for sixty years, social injustice.
What's worse, even Vice President Sarah is eyeing up, demanding to expand anti-corruption investigations, check flood control projects and check all budgets. The opposition took the opportunity to attack, and the political arena was about to come.
The situation was tense, and the Chinese Embassy and Consulate in the Philippines issued a reminder at the first time, asking compatriots in the Philippines to raise their safety awareness. The reminder is very real: stay away from protesting *, avoid crowded areas, pay attention to traffic control, and ensure personal safety.