Mega-church Iglesia ni Cristo gathers 650,000 anti-graft protesters in Philippines

MANILA – More than half a million people took part in a rally organised by an influential church in Manila on Nov 16, calling for accountability in the Philippine government over a widening corruption scandal.

Iglesia ni Cristo members, wearing white shirts, assembled in the historic Quirino Grandstand and nearby streets in Manila city. The police estimated the crowd at 650,000 as of 6pm, according to the city government.

The Christian religious group earlier said it is not fighting the government, and that it is a peaceful movement against corruption. The mega-church holds political clout as it is known for endorsing candidates and voting as a bloc during elections.  

Rally organisers turned away a group carrying placards that called for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to resign.

There is mounting pressure on Mr Marcos’ government to immediately prosecute those involved in corruption

related to flood infrastructure funds

worth billions of pesos. The scandal slowed economic growth last quarter, as state spending and consumption slumped.

Tension escalated on Nov 15 as former congressman Zaldy Co accused Marcos of receiving 25 billion pesos (S$550 million) in kickbacks from 100 billion pesos of project spending the President had allegedly ordered to be included in the 2025 budget. The allegations were aired in a multi-part video released by Mr Co over the last two days.

The accusation is “a lie, propaganda”, Presidential Communications Office undersecretary Claire Castro said in a video statement on Nov 15. The President said he does not “want to even dignify” what the former lawmaker is saying, the office said separately.

A group calling itself the United People’s Initiative and led by retired military officers held another rally on Nov 16 at the People Power Monument in suburban Quezon City. In a statement, the group said Mr Co’s allegations “have shaken the already fragile trust in the national leadership” and called on the president to resign if he cannot address the issues transparently.

The worsening domestic political uncertainty spawned by the graft revelations has also rocked investor sentiment. The peso recently fell to a record low against the dollar while stocks plunged to make the Philippines the world’s worst-performing market.

The larger and likewise influential Catholic Church cautioned against exploiting political issues ahead of the rallies, warning that “these allegations, especially when released at sensitive moments”, may inflame public sentiment “or be used to influence political outcomes”.

The alleged scheme to pilfer billions of pesos meant for flood-mitigation projects was exposed by Mr Marcos in July, and ensuing investigations implicated public works officials and several lawmakers, who have denied wrongdoing. The probes also found that most of the projects were either substandard or non-existent, as funds were allegedly pocketed by politicians and their cohorts.

Public outrage

The unfolding scandal has triggered public outrage, which further intensified after a series of deadly and destructive tropical storms

recently hit the South-east Asian nation

. Mr Marcos has assured the public that his administration is moving to jail corrupt officials soon, and recover stolen public funds.

This is the second time in 2025 that the mega-church has mobilised a rally. In January, the religious group led a demonstration against Vice-President Sara Duterte’s impeachment case, which was eventually shelved. The mega-church endorsed both Mr Marcos and Ms Duterte in the 2022 election, but

the alliance between the leaders later collapsed

.

The Nov 16 rallies are set to continue till the end of Nov 19, with 16,000 police officers deployed to enforce peace and order, according to local media outlets. The Manila city government is shutting schools until then, while dozens of roads have been closed.

The latest accusations against Mr Marcos are likely to add to speculation on how they might “trigger more dissent that could tip over into political instability”, Mr Bob Herrera-Lim, managing director of risk consultancy Teneo, wrote in a note last week. Bloomberg