What do people expect from their governments?

Honest spending of public money on the services everyone relies on!

- Henry J. Schumacher [e-mail]

These include quality education, decent healthcare, well-functioning transport and energy infrastructure. Protection from deadly floods. Opportunities for the next generation. The freedom to hold leaders to account by protesting safely.

In the Philippines, Nepal and Indonesia, when these reasonable expectations are not met, people are taking to the streets to voice their concern.

In the Philippines, mass protests on Sunday followed months of growing anger over allegations that billions of dollars meant for flood relief were siphoned into fake projects.

The revelations come as the country reels from severe flooding, which frequently causes fatalities. Citizens are demanding the return of stolen funds and accountability for those responsible - a demand that reflects a wider frustration in a country.