Malacañang declared that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s aggressive push against corruption is key to protecting the country’s investment climate, even as massive anti-corruption protests rocked Metro Manila and other parts of the country over the weekend.

Asked about reputational risks from the unrest, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said investors are drawn to leaders who confront corruption head-on.

“Well, anyway, we all know that investors want to invest in countries whose leaders fight corruption, whose leaders are willing to put in jail people who are corrupt; and that is what the President is doing right now,” Castro said in a media briefing at the Palace.

She cited Marcos’ unprecedented move to order an investigation into alleged anomalies in flood-control projects, even if these occurred under his own administration.

“No one else has dared to investigate their own administration… but the President boldly made public the possible misuse of public funds,” she said in Filipino.

Castro stressed that transparency and accountability will bolster investor confidence despite images of street clashes dominating global news.

“We believe all investors will admire the President more because he is fighting corruption,” she added.

Tens of thousands marched in Metro Manila and several provinces on Sunday to denounce corruption, particularly in the multibillion-dollar flood control projects. Violence flared at Mendiola and Ayala Bridge as masked protesters clashed with police in an attempt to raid Malacañang Palace.

The President has created an independent body to probe the anomalies, which he first uncovered in his 2025 State of the Nation Address.