Hold everyone accountable! No junta, no cover-ups!

November is proving to be one hell of a roller coaster ride. Just when the public thought the massive corruption scandal had reached its peak, now believed to be running into the trillions, another episode in this never-ending political drama emerges.

More high-profile officials are now named, with former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo dragging ousted Senate president Chiz Escudero, Sen. Mark Villar, and former senators Grace Poe and Nancy Binay. They are now part of a growing list that includes Senators Joel Villanueva’s back-to-back scandal, Jinggoy Estrada’s triple plunder record and former senator Bong Revilla, who may find it hard to “budots” his way out this time.

But the scandal has now gone beyond the halls of the legislature and straight to Malacañang’s door, with former congressman Zaldy Co directly implicating President Bongbong Marcos Jr. in budget insertions. Co claimed that he received instructions from Marcos Jr., through Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and former House speaker Martin Romualdez, to insert P100 billion worth of projects into the 2025 budget.

While alarming, Co’s accusations should be handled with scrutiny. Given how Marcos Jr. and the Dutertes are locked in an existential, zero-sum battle, the first reaction cannot be instant belief nor blanket dismissal. We may take his claims with a grain of salt, but we cannot simply ignore what he said. History has shown that allegations of this magnitude, especially when they involve the highest offices, cannot be swept under the rug.

So we ask: if Marcos Jr. is directly implicated in this scandal, why did he expose it in the first place? Why would a president with vast fiscal powers ask for corrupt insertions at the very last stage of the budget process (bicam), when he could do it in the NEP, where it is less controversial? Is the President and his people that stupid, or is someone writing this script poorly? Why is Co implicating only Pangandaman and Romualdez, conveniently skipping Escudero, who was then Senate president? Why did Co’s “bombshell” drop at the exact moment a three-day “transparency rally” – obviously pro-Duterte – is about to unfold? Is Co now dancing to the Dutertes’ tune? And finally, Co claims he never benefited from the budget insertions. So, he is only an “inserter,” but not a plunderer?

These are important questions that must be raised during formal investigative processes. The challenge now is for Co to end his extended vacation abroad, face due process and substantiate his claims. Internet accusations, no matter how viral, won’t suffice. Allegations must be backed by evidence and sworn testimonies before investigative bodies. Otherwise, his newfound love for truth will be simply seen as a ploy to save his skin while helping the China-backed Dutertes evade accountability and grab power.

Marcos Jr. is not off the hook either. He must respond substantively to these accusations or risk the wrath of a public growing impatient with half-measures and empty gestures. He is being called by the people to explain, clarify and confront the claims of a former close ally. If he is truly innocent, he must ensure the safe return of Co and allow him to prove his allegations, and certify as urgent the passage of a bill to institutionalize, provide more power and cement the non-partisanship of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

As for the Dutertes and their allies, desperate to dodge accountability, they must be held accountable. Obviously ecstatic over Co’s statement, their jubilation is a warning sign. They stand to gain the most from this development. As such, the people should press the ombudsman to immediately and judiciously file charges against all those involved, regardless of political color, but especially the Dutertes and their cronies, who would love nothing more than to drag us back to their blood-soaked rule.

This brings us to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the very audience the Dutertes have been courting with a three-day political rally wrapped as a crusade for “transparency.” Their aim is clear: persuade the military to intervene and install the impeached Vice President as the country’s highest leader.

But our soldiers know this is not how history works. No successful military withdrawal of support in the Philippines has ever occurred without the active role of the Catholic Church and the broad public. Not in 1986. Not in 2001. Without these essential elements, any rally, no matter its size, and especially if led by a theocratic minority perceived to be protecting the corrupt, is a fake people power action and an outright military coup, destined to fail or dismantle democracy and our Constitution.

Virgilio Pablo Cardinal David has already drawn the line. His statement rejecting any right-wing military intervention that favors the Dutertes or installing a junta is crystal clear. The AFP must now ask itself: without the Church and the people, will they betray the Constitution, their oath and their integrity to side with the Dutertes, who have repeatedly bowed to Beijing even as China harasses our troops, attacks our fisherfolk and violates the West Philippine Sea? Will they serve those long aligned with our greatest adversary?

We are now at a critical stage in our fight against corruption. We must stay vigilant as we find our way in this increasingly treacherous political terrain. Our struggle must move forward wherever the evidence leads us, and where it “serves the cause of justice and strengthens, rather than erodes,” as Cardinal David reminds us.

We must also build our alternative center of power. Our struggle against corruption demands not only vigilance but a credible, principled alternative. The leaders of the democratic forces must scale up and provide leadership, not ambivalence and silence. They must embody the courage and clarity necessary to confront this crisis and offer the people a clear path forward.