Only relentless outrage can bring change

Thousands took to the streets in Jakarta after it was revealed that 580 Indonesian parliament members received a monthly housing allowances of 50 million rupiah or P175,000.

Protests spread quickly across Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta and other parts of the country. Demonstrators looted and torched government offices, parliament buildings and even politicians’ homes – all to express their indignation for the abuses.

The relentless outrage caused President Prabowo Subianto to succumb to public demand. Last Sunday, Probowo revoked the housing allowance and suspended overseas trips for lawmakers. He also imposed sanctions on certain parliament members.

Prabowo bent to the public’s will.

Here in the Philippines

Our Indonesian brothers went to the streets for so little – just P175,000 for each lawmaker. Here, the Filipino is robbed of billions. Do the math. In the 2025 national budget, legislators inserted roughly P879 billion worth of pork in many disguises. Divide this by 316 congressmen and 24 senators. Simple math shows that each bagged P2.6 billion, some getting more than others. This does not count the billions they steal for ghost projects, proxy contractors and other rent seeking schemes. Each lawmaker can plunder tens of billions every year.

Why aren’t we enraged and out in the streets like the Indonesians? Sure, our outrage is palpable on social media but it is by no means commensurate to the magnitude of the theft. Filipinos must be the “kindest” people on earth (“kind” being interchangeable for “witless”).

Our long-suffering nature has emboldened our plunderous leaders to rip us off with impunity. The more forgiving we are, the graver their abuses become.

Liker the Indonesians, we must let our outrage be heard louder and clearer. As citizens, it is our duty to expose the plunderers, shame them and strip them of the respect they crave. The same for their entitled children. Above all, we must take away their power where it matters most – in the ballot box. Because lest you be confused, the true enemy is not the contractors – they are only the pawns. The true plunderers are the elected officials who use the contractors for their heists.

We must insist that government hold the real plunderers accountable, not just the small fry. They must face penal consequences and the sequestration of assets. Because without genuine punishment and restitution, corruption will continue and nothing will change.

PBBM cannot

I have learned to expect little from PBBM. In the first place, he is the wrong president to lead an earnest anti-corruption drive. He lacks the moral standing to do so.

The Marcos-Romualdez dynasties have long been the biggest beneficiaries of corruption and pork, a fact established by the courts and glaringly underscored in the way the 2025 budget was engineered. So let me be direct – how can Marcos go after the “big fish” when his family is the whale of corruption?

Besides, an authentic anti-corruption campaign risks opening Pandora’s box. If Marcos unleashes it, rival factions could turn the same scrutiny on the Marcos-Romualdez clans. This gives him every incentive to keep the status quo.

Further, the Marcos-Romualdez dynasties trade on political connections. Any genuine anti-corruption crusade would inevitably expose their networks, businesses and cohorts. In other words, going after “big fish” means going after their own allies, thereby fracturing their political base.

The political elite protect one another because they all have dirt. Bound by a code of silence, even institutions like the Sandiganbayan and the ombudsman are in on it. Why else are high-ranking plunderers never held to account? And why are the few who were charged before miraculously absolved?

So how will this play out? We have been through this rodeo before. PBBM will call for a lifestyle check and promise, with much bravado, that heads will roll (which he already has). “Investigations” will follow to appease the public. But the investigators will protect the masterminds. They may prosecute one or two small fishes to display seriousness. But the real offenders will go scot free to legislate another day. Within weeks, it will be business as usual. I hope I am wrong.

No closure

It was Marcos Senior who institutionalized corruption. Under martial law, he centralized power and siphoned billions through crony capitalism, kickbacks and raiding of state coffers.

The tragedy is that the country never closed that chapter – the Marcos and Romualdez clans kept their wealth and were even welcomed back into politics. No one was punished. No restitution was demanded. This entrenched the culture of corruption in the Philippine political system, teaching everyone that plunder and deceit pays.

Today, political dynasties treat public funds as entitlements, further emboldened by weak institutions.

The solution

We don’t need to re-invent the wheel. We can follow the best practices of other democracies to finally obliterate the culture of corruption. How?

First, the guilty must be punished and their assets sequestered. This is fundamental to display seriousness and sincerity.

Second, create an independent anti-corruption body like Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption. The ICAC combines investigations, prevention and public education. Pair this with special courts that resolve graft cases in months, not decades, as seen in Indonesia’s KPK courts.

Third, make government spending transparent. South Korea’s ONs-line E-Procurement System is an ideal model for digitizing procurement from bidding to payment. Brazil’s Transparency Portal is another good model that encourages public audit.

Fourth, enforce asset and campaign transparency. Like Canada’s Donation Caps, public official’s wealth and political donations should be made public and audited.

Fifth, protect whistleblowers. The US False Claims Act proves that when insiders are safe and rewarded, corruption is exposed.

Like Indonesia, we must realize one truth: only our relentless outrage can bend politicians to genuine reform. Hence, our fire must not die, our pressure must not ease.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan