PH must avoid Indonesia-like protests over flood projects — Palace

Palace press officer, Undersecretary Claire Castro.

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Thursday said the government does not want Indonesia-style unrest to erupt in the Philippines amid ongoing investigations into irregularities in flood-control projects.

The statement followed a protest by members of Kalikasan and a disaster survivors’ group staged outside a construction firm owned by the Discaya family, who are accused of involvement in questionable flood-prevention projects.

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At a briefing, Palace press officer Claire Castro was asked to comment on concerns that protests in the Philippines might escalate as they did in Indonesia, where authorities reported fatalities, injuries, and looting.

In Indonesia, the protest followed allegations of corruption in its government and reports that lawmakers were receiving huge housing allowances in addition to their salaries.

“The President [Ferdinand Marcos Jr.] would not want such a thing to happen. As he himself said, we are following due process,” she responded in Filipino.

Castro said, “So, the President is also directing our concerned government agencies and law enforcement not to allow this to happen.”

Earlier in the day, protesters marched and threw mud at the gate of St. Gerrard Construction in Pasig City as a symbol of the burden carried by flood victims.

Protesters also spray-painted “magnanakaw” [thief] and “korap” [corrupt] on the firm’s gate.

The Discayas is currently under scrutiny for allegedly owning nine companies that won more than P30 billion in government flood-control contracts over three years.

The Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board has since revoked the licenses of these companies. /mr/abc