Posted on 11/25/2025 8:26:13 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is under serious pressure.
A wave of protests over corruption in flood control projects has piled pressure on his government.
Cabinet ministers have resigned. And further rallies, which the Catholic Church is throwing its weight behind, are planned for Nov. 30.
The turmoil has sparked speculation about Marcos being unseated via impeachment or coup.
For now, this possibility probably shouldn’t be taken too seriously.
The military and leading politicians have denied considering such options. And there is barely a modern Filipino president who hasn’t at some time or other been subject to such rumors or faced failed attempts.
Plus, the last time a president was forced to leave office early was in 2001, when Joseph Estrada resigned amid mass protests over corruption and impeachment attempts.
The most recent attempt at a coup, meanwhile, was a damp squib in 2007 that lasted only a few hours.
Still, there’s no denying the government is creaking.
On Nov. 18, two senior cabinet ministers—the executive secretary, who serves as the president’s right hand, and the secretary for budget and management—both left the government.
These departures follow that of Martin Romualdez, a cousin of Bongbong’s, who resigned his position as speaker of the House of Representatives in September amid accusations that he had been involved in the flood projects graft.
Marcos himself is also under fire.
The president has been publicly accused of pocketing 25 billion pesos’ ($425 million) worth of misappropriated funds by Zaldy Co, a former representative and onetime ally of Marcos with an outstanding arrest warrant over his own alleged role in the scandal.
While speaking at an anti-corruption rally on Nov. 17, Marcos’s estranged sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, accused him of being addicted to cocaine.
(Excerpt) Read more at foreignpolicy.com ...
What distinguishes the current turn of events from previous elite feuding is the growing popular protests helping to propel the flood scandal forward.
Filipinos sick of the rampant graft that characterizes national politics are making their voices heard—echoing other protests that have shaken and toppled governments across the world.
Successive typhoons ravaging the country have added saliency to the issue of flood control infrastructure corruption.
Notably, attempts by the Dutertes to position themselves at the head of this insurgency have yet to come off.
Imee Marcos, a Duterte ally, was allowed to address the crowd at the protests earlier this month.
The PI is STRATEGICALLY important to the US.
We should simply put our guy in charge.
Right now that looks like Marcos. He knows how it works.
He learned it from his dad.
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