Overview

• Police reported 216 arrests, including at least 88 minors, after clashes in Manila where masked protesters threw stones and several police vehicles were set on fire.
• Officers used water cannon and blaring sirens to disperse mostly young crowds, with about 50 people treated at one Manila hospital and 93 police sustaining injuries, authorities said.
• Organizers said roughly 130,000 joined the Manila rally, while government authorities estimated about half that number, reflecting a broader nationwide mobilization.
• The protests center on state-funded flood-control works worth about €7.4 billion, with probes finding sham or poorly executed contracts after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. disclosed the scandal in July and set up a commission.
• AFP reported that the leaders of both parliamentary chambers have stepped aside during the inquiry, as the finance ministry estimated recent corruption losses at up to ₱118.5 billion (€1.77 billion) and Greenpeace cited a higher figure near €15 billion.