It is said that the corruption case of the flood control project in the Philippines has caused a lot of noise. When it broke out in September 2025, the whole country was frying. This involves several lawmakers, officials and construction company owners, who are suspected of taking large sums of money out of taxpayers' pockets to do some non-existent projects. Finance Minister Ralph Rector bluntly said that the economic losses of these ghost projects alone were as high as $9.5 billion, enough to buy several warships. As soon as the case was exposed, people were furious. Since September 12th, people all over the country took to the streets to protest, and the scale became larger and larger. By September 21st, Manila's Lizal Park was crowded with tens of thousands of people, and Quezon City and Davao were also full of demonstrators.
The core of this corruption case was those flood protection projects, originally to deal with the flooding of the rainy season, which resulted in money spent and work failed. The investigation showed that at least nine thousand projects were suspected of counterfeiting and funds were smuggled into private pockets. Protesters directed high-level officials to fish from the flooding, construction companies took contracts on human evaporation, leaving rubble projects and flooded communities. On September 13, Quezon city parades blocked main roads, and fishermen in Davos also joined because the local flood protection facilities collapsed, and last year the typhoon broke down several villages.
By September 15, the wave of protests had spread to the university campus, with students rushing out of the dormitories, holding signals for the government to roll out. The media that the amount involved was not only 9.5 billion, but also the subsequent audit costs, and the entire systemic corruption left the people completely unconfident about the infrastructure. The flooding problem in the Philippines was serious, and the rainy season, the Manila lowlands became Zhejiang, this scandal equaled to oil pouring into the fire. On September 16, the demonstrations continued, the presidential palace pulled out the warning line, volunteers distributed water and food, keeping the squad unspoiled.
The armed forces sounded red alert from September 12, which is not new in the Philippines, but this time was too coincidental. Military spokesman Colonel Padilla said that all units had entered the highest readiness since that day to support the police and ensure the demonstration was not out of control. Red alert meant that the troops were always standing, vehicles refuelled, weapons inspected, camp fence reinforced. The military stressed that this was not a political intervention, but only regular preparation, as the scale of the protests was expected to be large. On September 13, tanks and armored vehicles began to patrol the outskirts of Manila, and helicopters dropped the surveillance group. Padilla reiterated at the news conference that the troops would not intervene in the streets, only escorting wounded or evacu
On September 14, the alert level remained unchanged, the troops headed the bridge at Quezon City and checked the vehicles in the past. The base in Davos also strengthened security, and the soldiers turns out. The military also met to discuss potential risks, considering that the corruption case involved the military's past procurement contracts, and there was concern that the demonstration would affect the defense budget. On September 15, the Minister of Defense met with several veterans generals to discuss how to avoid the troops being dragged down. The red alert reached its peak on September 21, the number of troops doubled, and the national camp lights were lit.
The Chinese Maritime Police Office that the Philippines had sent more than a dozen official vessels into the territorial sea of Yellowstone Island, intentionally hitting Chinese vessels. The collision occurred in the traditional fishing area near Yellowstone Island, the Philippine fleet was going to supply fishermen, and the Chinese maritime police ship was wiped. The Philippine police said that a Philippine vessel accelerated the collision, causing the Chinese ship's body to deform, and two crew members were killed in the shock. The Chinese side immediately used water cannons, high-pressure water columns hit the Philippine bridge, glass broken, a Philippine water arm injured, and could not stand.
The Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately responded, saying their vessels performed missions in the high seas, the Chinese vessels were first blocked to cause collision. The wounded were taken back to the port, the medical package was sent to the doctor, the naval police released a video, the images of the water cannon injection were repeatedly broadcast. The island was originally the hot spot of the dispute between China and the Philippines, the Philippines claimed to be an exclusive economic zone, and China was its own territorial sea. On September 17, the bilateral consultation mechanism resumed, and the two sides exchanged positions on the phone, but did not speak of the results. The Philippine Coast Guard strengthened the patrol, the ship's return radio also sounded a warning.
The South China Sea collision was not the first, but the time was too sensitive, at the time of the worst anti-corruption protests. The Philippine government declared it was defending the marine rights and interests, and the media bullied the details of the seafarers' injuries and shifted a lot of eyes. Internationally, the U.S. State Department issued a statement in support of the Philippines, reminding China to comply with international law. On September 18, the Philippines summoned the Chinese ambassador and submitted a parliamentary license. The naval police vessels continued to confront around the island, and fishing vessels were forced to circumvent, supplying delays.