Philippine protest clashes over corruption lead to 216 arrests

Philippine  – (Special Correspondent / Web Desk) – Police in Manila arrested more than two hundred people after a large protest turned violent. The event started as a peaceful gathering against government corruption but clashed with officers.

Authorities took 216 people into custody after using water cannons to control the crowd. Among those arrested were at least 88 minors, with a twelve-year-old boy being the youngest.

Thousands of people had joined the march to show their anger about a major spending scandal. The scandal involves fake flood control projects that wasted billions of taxpayer dollars.

This issue has forced several powerful lawmakers to resign from their posts. However, the violent clashes, which included burning police cars, drew attention away from the main peaceful event.

A police spokesperson said they are still determining why the violence started. They are investigating if the troublemakers were part of the protest or were paid to cause chaos.

A local hospital reported treating around fifty people injured during the conflicts. Police also stated that ninety-three of their officers were hurt, and the number of arrests may still go up.

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Public fury over these fake projects has grown since the president discussed them in a major speech. This came after weeks of serious flooding in the country.

The Finance Department estimates corruption in flood projects cost the economy over two billion dollars. Some environmental groups believe the actual amount of lost money is much higher.

The nation now prepares for another storm, Super Typhoon Ragasa, expected to bring more flooding. The country faces about twenty storms each year, which often hit poor communities the hardest.