Marcos urged: Take decisive action vs ‘corruption scandal’

CEBU, Philippines —  In a rare show of unity, the country’s biggest business and labor organizations have jointly issued an open letter to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., urging his administration to take decisive action against what they described as “the largest and most brazen corruption scandal in our nation’s history.”

The statement, signed by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), Federation of Free Workers (FFW), Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT), Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), expressed deep frustration over the government’s lack of tangible progress in its anti-corruption campaign.

“Workers and employers have long carried the burden of building and sustaining this country through our labor, our enterprise, and our taxes. That’s why we can never be silent about the harsh truth that trillions have already been stolen from the public coffers,” the groups said.

Citing the September 2025 Pulse Asia survey, the coalition noted that 97 percent of Filipinos believe corruption in government is widespread, while only 39 percent trust the Ombudsman to effectively address it.

The organizations lamented the slow pace of government action following Marcos’s fiery condemnation of corruption during his State of the Nation Address (SONA).

“Months have passed since your SONA, when you thundered ‘mahiya naman kayo’ at the corrupt, yet what have we seen?” the letter asked. “Instead of hold departure orders, we are told to be content with immigration lookout bulletins. Instead of criminal charges, we are fed daily promises of cases ‘soon to be filed’,” part of the statement read.

The groups outlined five urgent calls to action to restore public trust and strengthen democratic institutions:

• Hold regular sectoral dialogues between workers, employers, and the government to monitor the anti-corruption roadmap and report on progress;

• Certify as urgent a bill granting the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) full subpoena and contempt powers, with all its proceedings made public;

• Establish a special division in the Sandiganbayan to handle infrastructure-related corruption cases for faster prosecution and conviction;

• Recover stolen wealth through asset freezing, insurance recovery, and restitution of misused public funds, redirecting recovered money to social reforms that benefit workers and communities; and

• Reform the national budget process by ensuring transparency and multi-sectoral participation from the start of budget preparation, making it “not merely the President’s budget, but truly the People’s Budget.”

The coalition stressed that the country’s stability depends on credible and transparent justice.

“Prove that this anti-corruption drive is not another soundbite for selective justice but the start of national renewal,” they wrote, adding, “For when justice is delayed and worse, denied, the reckless will tempt the restless to take dangerous extraconstitutional shortcuts.”

The signatories warned that the people’s patience is wearing thin, saying, “A credible and vigorous anti-corruption campaign within the bounds of the rule of law and the Constitution will strengthen democratic institutions and safeguard our nation from further instability and disillusionment. The Filipino people are no longer just watching.”

Released over the weekend, the open letter marks one of the most direct and unified appeals yet from both the business and labor sectors for the Marcos administration to demonstrate political will in confronting corruption scandals that continue to erode public trust. (CEBU NEWS)