At A Glance
- Protesters on Friday, Oct. 24, stormed the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) headquarters at the upscale Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig as they joined others across the country in expressing their disgust over the massive corruption in flood control projects.
Protesters on Friday, Oct. 24, stormed the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) headquarters at the upscale Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig as they joined others across the country in expressing their disgust over the massive corruption in flood control projects.
Around a dozen rallyists rushed toward the ICI building and attempted to break through the gates.
Security personnel from inside the ICI compound resisted the demonstators as they tried to open the gate by force. Police personnel outside also tried to disperse the crowd.
The protesters belonged to the group People Surge, which wanted to immediately jail all those responsible for the flood control project controversies from "bottom to top".
"ICI itigil ang cover-up! Imbestigahan lahat! Lahat ng sangkot, dapat managot (ICI, stop the cover-up! Investigate everyone! All those involved must be held accountable)," they added.
After attempting--and failing--to destroy the gates, the rallyists staged a program, where spray-painted tarpaulins bearing faces of controversial contractor couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya, President Marcos, and Vice President Sara Duterte were displayed.
The protest came as other groups across the country, mainly in Metro Manila, held weekly protests--namely the Black Friday Protest and Student Walkout Protest--in preparation for the second Trillion Peso March on Nov. 30. The event is expected to draw a bigger crowd than the initial Sept. 21 march.
Thousands of Filipinos had taken to the streets since the anomalies in the billion-peso "ghost" and substandard flood control projects were revealed by President Marcos in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July.