A vast corruption scandal has ignited public fury and coup rumours, placing the president between his family’s past and his political rivals
“He’s beleaguered and it’s a major crisis,” Dr Jean Franco, political scientist at the University of the Philippines, told This Week in Asia. “And it can … make or break his legacy.”
Public rage erupted late last month after torrential rain submerged swathes of Manila, prompting more questions about the government’s flood defences. Outrage only deepened when one viral video showed one contractor, until recently a receptionist, boasting of her 28 luxury cars, including a Rolls-Royce bought, she said, because it came with an umbrella she desired.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada called the display of sudden wealth nakakalula (dizzying). “This is totally outrageous,” he said on September 2.
Other viral videos soon followed, showing the children of politically connected contractors flaunting designer handbags, jet-setting abroad and taunting ordinary Filipinos with their privilege. One contractor’s home was later pelted with mud by protesters.
