Like Nepal, there is fury against ‘nepo babies’ in the Philippines. Here’s why

Anger is brewing in the Philippines against “nepo babies”, the children of wealthy politicians and contractors. Like Nepal, the Southeast Asian country is witnessing growing ire aimed at these people flaunting their lavish lifestyles on social media.

The reaction stems from the fury of Filipinos over corruption in flood control projects. A large anti-corruption protest is planned for Sunday (September 21), a date that marks the anniversary of the martial law imposed by the father of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr in 1972.

Let’s take a closer look.

Corruption allegations flood the Philippines

Corruption charges are haunting many politicians and contractors in the Philippines.

Last month, President Marcos announced that an internal audit of flood control spending revealed serious irregularities. According to him, 545 billion pesos ($9.5 billion) had been spent on flood management since 2022, resulting in 9,855 flood control projects to date.

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Of this, 20 per cent of the budget for flood control projects was awarded to only 15 contractors across the country, the preliminary probe found.

The investigation also uncovered “ghost” projects, or infrastructures that have not been constructed but are shown complete on paper, as per a South China Morning Post (SCMP) report.

These findings came after Metro Manila and nearby provinces were inundated due to incessant rains over just four days.

While the government has allocated billions of pesos for infrastructure like roads, bridges and embankments, it has failed to control floods.

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During a Senate hearing on September 3, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said that economic losses owing to corruption in flood control projects likely averaged $2.1 billion a year from 2023 to 2025, mainly due to ghost projects.

According to the Filipino economic planning minister, corruption had claimed 70 per cent of public funds set aside for flood control. A congressional investigation has since connected him to a “growing family business” involving government flood control projects.

House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who has been implicated, has resigned. However, he has dismissed the allegations.

Outraged Filipinos have been posting AI videos of lawmakers as crocodiles, a symbol of greed.

Why flooding is a big problem in the Philippines

Flooding has become a major problem in the Philippines, which is one of the world’s most typhoon-vulnerable countries. Once a rare event experienced during intense monsoon rains, it has now become a regular occurrence and is growing more severe each time.

Robie Yambot, who lives in Barangay Del Monte in Quezon City, sends her children to the nearest evacuation centre whenever water levels increase near her home.

“It’s no longer like before when the floods came only every few years … now, it’s almost every month. Every time it rains nonstop, we get flooded, and floods today are different: the water rises quickly,” Yambot told Arab News.

“My children sometimes cry because we don’t know if there will be anything left. When floods come, it’s so fast that we can’t save our belongings in time. We just focus on evacuating.”

Speaking to BBC, a 36-year-old public school teacher said she accepted floods as a part of life. However, she is fuming this time.

“I feel betrayed,” Crissa Tolentino said. “I work hard, I don’t spend too much and taxes are deducted from my salary every month. Then I learn that billions in our taxes are being enjoyed by corrupt politicians.”

Anger sweeps social media over ’nepo babies'

The wrath of Filipinos over corruption in the country has spilt over the internet. They are using social media platforms such as Reddit to expose the lavish lifestyles of the children of contractors and public officials linked to the ongoing investigations into flood control projects.

They have also taken to TikTok, Facebook and X to rail against lawmakers and construction tycoons.

The hashtag “ nepo babies” has gained traction on social media in the country. Many are young women showing off their jet-setting lifestyle online.

A sub-Reddit called lifestylecheckPH has attracted nearly 7,000 followers since it was created on August 24. Users are uploading screenshots of social media posts and “corrupt-shaming nepo babies” on the platform, reported SCMP.

A daughter of a former congressman was trolled for a single outfit, when she paired Fendi with Dior and carried a costly Hermes Birkin bag.

Many of these “nepo babies” are being flooded with sarcastic remarks that they should thank taxpayers for funding their shopping and travel. Some of these people have resorted to turning off comments on their accounts or deactivating them.

“We will be relentless. We will be loud. We will be a mirror held up to power, and we will not look away until justice is served,” the collective called Creators Against Corruption was quoted as saying by BBC. 

“There are now communities on Reddit doing ‘lifestyle checks’ based on social media accounts of kids of politicians, contractors and DPWH [Department of Public Works and Highways] officials that put Crazy Rich Asians to shame,” creative director Gerry Cacanindin wrote in a viral social media post.

“Someone asked: ‘How can they be so dumb to flex all that wealth that is obviously the fruit of these flood control projects?’,” he added.

“Maybe corruption has become too entrenched and too normal in their world that they already feel entitled to wealth. Not just wealth, but the kind of wealth that’s just beyond the imagination of ordinary Filipino taxpayers who are funding their lifestyle.”

The anger is not just limited to offline spaces. Employees of the public works department have been allowed to ditch their uniforms after they were reportedly heckled and harassed in public.

Huge protests planned

A huge anti-corruption protest is planned across Metro Manila on September 21, in which around 100 organisations are expected to participate.

President Marcos has expressed his support for the demonstrations. “If I wasn’t president, I might be out on the streets with them,” he told reporters.

“Let them know how much they hurt you, how they stole from you. Let them know, shout at them, demonstrate - just make it peaceful.”

Last month, he said he was “angry” after inspecting a barren site where a flood control dam was to be built. “They didn’t work for even a single day. Even if you see it for yourself, you won’t see anything,” he said.

Later, the president announced a lifestyle check on all government officials amid growing scrutiny on flood control projects, especially those from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the agency responsible for public infrastructure projects.

The protests in the Philippines come in the wake of other parts of the world witnessing similar anti-corruption demonstrations. Such protests propelled legislative reform in Indonesia and toppled the government in Nepal recently.

The Southeast Asian nation has itself ousted two presidents over corruption.

Professor David Michael San Juan, convener of the civic alliance Tama Na, told Arab News that roughly 100,000 people are expected to join the rally at Luneta, an urban park and main public gathering site in Manila.

“In every administration, there’s always a corruption case. But this time, it’s really terrible because it’s money that is supposed to be used to protect Filipinos from floods,” San Juan said.

“The Philippines is a victim of extreme climate change, just like many developing countries. So, the situation with flooding in the Philippines is so bad. And it has gotten worse in recent years. This year, it’s even worse. Even those areas that are not usually flooded are now going under water.”

With inputs from agencies