MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine authorities detained seven suspects and several more were being sought in a major corruption scandal involving flood control projects, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Monday as he tried to quell public outrage over the brazen anomalies that have implicated powerful members of Congress.

Massive corruption has been blamed for substandard or non-existent flood control projects in the poverty-stricken Southeast Asian country long prone to deadly floods and extreme weather. Two Philippine presidents, including Marcos’ late father, were overthrown in peaceful public revolts due to alleged plunder and misrule.

The initial batch of more than a dozen suspects, including Zaldy Co, a former member of the House of Representatives, and government public works

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