Tens of thousands of people protested in the capital of the Philippines on Sunday. They are demanding that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. resign immediately. This was one of the largest protests against him since he was elected.
A coalition called KBKK organized the event. A huge crowd walked from a national park towards the presidential palace. People are very angry about a major corruption scandal involving billions of dollars for infrastructure projects. They are also angry about the government's response to recent powerful typhoons.
The protest was mostly peaceful. Organizers said more than 20,000 people joined. They came from many parts of society. To show their anger, people carried large models of the president and vice president as crocodiles. This symbol means they believe the leaders are greedy and corrupt.
The main problem is a scandal people call the "Trillion-Peso" scandal. Powerful politicians are accused of taking large bribes to approve contracts for flood-control projects. These projects were poorly built or never finished. This left towns unprotected from floods. The scandal has already caused two government ministers to resign, but protestors say this is not enough.
A former politician, Zaldy Co, made a serious claim. He said that President Marcos himself told him to add $1.7 billion to the budget for "dubious public works." The government strongly denies this. For many people, this shows the president is directly involved.
Recent natural disasters made the problem feel more real. Two strong typhoons hit the country, killing over 250 people. Many citizens believe the failed flood-control projects, which are part of the scandal, made the damage and death toll much worse.
A 21-year-old student at the protest said it was a necessary stand against a broken system. The government now faces a big challenge. It must deal with the official investigations and also the anger of its people, who are losing patience.