Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is the current President of the Philippines. He is newsworthy due to recent allegations of corruption and subsequent public outcry. Specifically, claims have surfaced alleging that Marcos Jr. took kickbacks from infrastructure projects, sparking widespread protests demanding his resignation. These protests are fueled by a larger context of alleged corruption in flood-control projects, which have been allocated $9.5 billion in taxpayer money, raising concerns about the government's handling of disaster preparedness in a typhoon-prone country. Adding to the controversy, a Filipino journalist, Frenchie Mae Cumpio, was recently sentenced to prison on terrorism financing charges, a case viewed by some as an attack on press freedom under Marcos Jr.'s administration. These events highlight the challenges and controversies surrounding his presidency.