Karishma Vaswani, Columnist

A Corruption Scandal Is Engulfing the Philippines

November 27, 2025 at 7:00 PM UTC

Karishma Vaswani is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia politics with a special focus on China. Previously, she was the BBC's lead Asia presenter and worked for the BBC across Asia and South Asia for two decades.

Anti-corruption protests have gripped Manila.
Photographer: Jamillah Sta. Rosa/AFP/Getty Images

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The Philippines is one of the most graft-riddled countries in the world, routinely scoring toward the bottom of global corruption indices, alongside the likes of Sierra Leone and Angola. But even by its own troubled standards, the past few months have exposed how deep the rot goes.

The archipelago is in the grip of a scandal involving government ministers, senators, members of Congress and wealthy businesspeople. Two presidents, including the current leader’s father, were toppled by public uprisings over misrule. Will Ferdinand Marcos Jr. be next?