According to the Philippine Star newspaper, on September 21, local time, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the capital of the Philippines for a large-scale demonstration in Manila Brake Park to protest the corruption scandal involving fake flood prevention projects.
In this regard, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines issued an announcement on the evening of 20th, warning Chinese citizens in the Philippines to raise security precautions, away from the imminent mass demonstrations.
This warning has raised widespread concern as it is relatively rare for China to issue security announcements in advance on the eve of a foreign march.
On the 19th, China's ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Tian, announced his resignation, and the timing of his departure and the unrest in the Philippines gave more speculation to the outside world.
Philippine President Marcos Jr. is facing the most severe test since he took office due to the dual pressure of corruption scandals and social protests.
Recently, a corruption scandal broke out in the Philippines that shocked the whole country. A large number of government contractors have been accused of colluding with officials, embezzling funds for flood control projects, and even having "ghost projects"-there is no actual construction after the budget is allocated.
These problems have caused great losses to the Philippines in natural disasters, and in recent years the losses caused by floods and typhoons have exceeded billions of pesos, killing thousands.
To calm the public opinion, Mr Marcos announced the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry, and said "never shut down". but this statement did not save the public mind, but instead made the struggle for power within the government emerge.
On September 19, Philippine Senate Chairman Escudero and House Chairman Romualdes resigned successively. Particularly the latter, as a cousin and important political ally of Little Marcos, his resignation was considered a relentless act of Little Marcos' "car shelter".
However, people's dissatisfaction did not ease, and the opposition quickly seized the opportunity to promote a large-scale * demonstration on September 21st.
This day has a special historical significance for the Philippines, and on September 21, 1972, the old Marcos issued a national order, opening up 14 years of dictatorship.
On this day every year, anti-dictatorship commemorations are held in the Philippines, and this year’s protests are more realistic—both the anger over government corruption and the historic liquidation of the Marcos family.
In response to possible emergencies, the Philippine government declared a "red alert" state and asked the troops to cancel their vacations and stand by.
Ready to assist the police in maintaining order at any time, but tough security measures can hardly cover up the ruling crisis of Marcos Jr. 's government.
The Philippine policely arrested 49 people on Monday, accusing them of throwing stones, bottles and incinerators at police and blocking roads and bridges leading to the presidential palace.
If the protests are completely out of control and even evolve into violent conflict, his ruling base will be further shaken.
At the same time, China's attitude has attracted much attention.
China's Embassy in the Philippines issued a security warning in advance, showing a high degree of caution about the situation in the Philippines. The resignation of Ambassador Huang Tian's resignation has sparked many external concerns. The six-year ambassador witnessed several critical stages of China-Philippines relations, and his resignation could have an impact on communication between the two countries.
Analysts believe that China’s move is not only about protecting the security of Chinese citizens, but may also be sending a signal to the Philippine government – hoping it will properly deal with domestic issues and avoid further deterioration.
At present, Marcos Jr. not only needs to solve the social crisis caused by the corruption scandal, but also needs to balance the relationship with China and the United States on the international stage. This poses a great challenge to his ruling ability. In the future, can the Philippines get out of the current predicament? Will China-Philippines relations be affected by this? The answers to these questions deserve our continued attention.