MANILA — Thousands of Filipinos, including members of the Roman Catholic clergy, took to the streets on Sunday demanding swift prosecution of senior legislators and officials implicated in a widening corruption scandal linked to defective or non-existent flood control projects.

Left-wing groups led a separate rally at Manila’s main park, calling for the immediate resignation and prosecution of all officials tied to the alleged misuse of public funds.

The protests come as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. faces mounting public anger over the scandal, which has deepened concerns in a country long vulnerable to deadly flooding and extreme weather.

More than 17,000 police officers were deployed across metropolitan Manila to secure the demonstrations.

Access roads around the Malacañang presidential palace were closed, with anti-riot police, trucks and barbed-wire barricades reinforcing a security lockdown.

In a nation where two presidents have been toppled in the last four decades amid corruption scandals, isolated calls have emerged urging the military to withdraw support from the Marcos administration.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines rejected those appeals, welcoming a statement signed by at least 88 mostly retired generals—including three former chiefs of staff—denouncing any push for unconstitutional action.

Roman Catholic churches nationwide mobilized their congregations, with the largest rally taking place at the EDSA People Power Monument. Police said roughly 5,000 demonstrators, many dressed in white, had gathered by midday.

Protesters demanded the imprisonment of lawmakers, government officials and construction company executives linked to thousands of anomalous flood control projects. One demonstrator wore a shirt reading: “No mercy for the greedy.”

“If money is stolen, that’s a crime, but if dignity and lives are taken away, these are sins against fellow human beings… and against God,” said Rev. Flavie Villanueva, a Catholic priest who has assisted families of victims of past anti-drug operations. “Jail all the corrupt and jail all the killers.”

Since Marcos highlighted the issue during his state of the nation address in July, at least seven public works officials have been jailed over one of the contested projects.

Executives from Sunwest Corp., a construction firm tied to the case, are also being sought by authorities.

On Friday, former government engineer Henry Alcantara, who admitted under oath to taking part in the scheme, returned 110 million pesos ($1.9 million) in kickbacks and pledged to return more.

Officials say about 12 billion pesos ($206 million) in assets linked to suspects have been frozen.

Marcos has vowed that many of the 37 senators, lawmakers and business figures implicated in the scandal will be jailed by Christmas.

Protesters on Sunday said more arrests are needed, including those of legislators accused of using public funds to bankroll private jets, luxury cars and lavish lifestyles. — Agencies