Similar protests were reported in other cities, including Cebu, Baguio, and Cagayan de Oro, with solidarity actions among Filipino communities abroad. The marches were sparked by revelations from government auditors that out of 545 billion pesos (roughly $9 to 10 billion) spent since 2022 on flood control projects, numerous were flagged as substandard, undocumented, or never built. CHURCHES BACK PROTESTSThe Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) officially urged the faithful to participate in the “Trillion Peso March,” framing the demonstrations as a moral stand against dishonesty and misuse of public funds. Earlier this month, Catholics and Protestants gathered at the historic EDSA Shrine for a Mass denouncing corruption in the government’s flood control projects. The demonstration’s name, “Trillion Peso March,” recalls the “Million People March” of 2013, when Filipinos filled Manila’s streets to protest misuse of congressional funds.