News anchor Karmina Constantino posted a video commentary that resonated with me – and, I suspect, with most Filipinos. She reflected on government’s anti-corruption drive and posed this question: Is all this for show? Her guest, Father Wilmer Tria, asserted that government’s actions appear driven less by accountability and more by political survival – a way for the President and his allies to survive until 2028 without being implicated.
This suspicion grows stronger everyday.
Last week, the President boasted about nine contractors blacklisted, seven bank accounts frozen and 37 officials charged. These may seem bold, but in the context of this multibillion-peso scandal, they are little more than symbolic gestures.
Everyone agrees that the results of government’s 100-day investigation has been frustratingly underwhelming. Marcos defends the slow pace as prudence. He said, “It’s better to be careful and take a little longer than to rush and make mistakes… We’re afraid those linked to this shamelessness will get away with it because of a legal technicality.”
While Malacañang takes its sweet time “building the case,” many of those implicated have had their plundered wealth safely hidden overseas. Witnesses have been intimidated, neutralized or paid into silence. Zaldy Co’s passport remains valid. Many of those implicated have fled the country, leaving government flatfooted. Worse, structural reforms to prevent institutional corruption from recurring is hardly in the conversation.
There is a difference between being careful and being deliberately slow. This administration appears to be releasing piecemeal developments to create an illusion of action. What we are seeing feels like delay by design – enough movement to claim action, but not to uncover the truth.
I’m beginning to think Constantino and Tria are right. This is all for show and all about political survival.
Zaldy Co’s bombshell
This is why Zaldy Co’s claims cannot be dismissed. He alleges that the President and Speaker Martin Romualdez personally benefited from P100 billion in budget insertions for 2025 – funds he claims were delivered directly to their homes. While Co has yet to present evidence, he maintains that he will produce receipts in due time.
Even more damning is Co’s claim that both Marcos and Romualdez advised him not to return to the Philippines – a move that, if true, suggests fear of exposure.
Malacañang’s defense is that the President never needed to make insertions. If inserting P100 billion in the budget was the aim, he could have incorporated it in the National Expenditure Program from the beginning. So it’s Co’s word against the administration’s. Let us see what the evidence reveals.
These accusations cannot simply be brushed aside. Fact remains that then speaker Romualdez oversaw the 2023, 2024 and 2025 budgets and President Marcos approved them despite being pregnant with pork and unappropriated appropriations. If there is nothing to hide, why has accountability been so slow and resistance to transparency so strong?
And when you add this to the documented history of institutional plunder associated with the Marcos-Romualdez clans, it is only reasonable for the public to demand clarity. Power regained does not erase the facts of history and sins of plunder.
Loss of confidence
Government has become so inept under the weight of corruption and the country’s development indices prove it. Confidence in national leadership is collapsing – and for good reason.
The President has shown weakness in most aspects of leadership, except perhaps in foreign policy. His weakness is particularly evident in the management of the economy, national competitiveness and in handling this corruption crisis.
The same for the Vice President. Her unimpressive body of work, corruption accusations, pro-China stance and unbecoming conduct prove her unfit to lead.
Congress and the Senate have long ceased to function as a mechanism for checks and balance. Decisions are driven not by principle or moral correctness, but by party loyalty and pork. Too many are tainted by corruption, dynastic interests and criminal activities. Lawmakers parade as patriots but act as profiteers. They have become a national liability.
The Supreme Court, Office of the Ombudsman and Sandiganbayan have often shown greater loyalty to those who appointed them than to the people they pledged to serve.
The absence of honor. Not a single public servant of this generation has had the courage to own up to their wrongdoings. Denial and deflection have become the national default. The rot reeks.
Where do we go from here?
The path to restore public trust must remain firmly within constitutional bounds. Any solution must be rooted in law and the people’s will – not by force or coercion. The following could be a viable scenario:
Voluntary resignation of the President, Vice President and members of the Senate and Congress. This would be a profound gesture of accountability and humility while respecting constitutional processes.
Formation of a constitutionally-sanctioned caretaker government. The Constitution provides a line of succession. A senior, respected member of the Supreme Court could oversee a caretaker government tasked only with maintaining basic governance and prepare the nation for elections – nothing more.
Snap elections for vacant positions. Elect new leaders with renewed legitimacy. This would give citizens the opportunity to reset the political landscape and choose candidates untainted by scandal.
Creation of an Independent Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the flood control and other major corruption cases and bring charges to those liable. Too, recommend long-term reforms to dismantle systemic corruption.
Immediate protective measures for accountability. Issuance of hold-departure orders for individuals under credible suspicion; freezing of personal and corporate assets under investigation.
We deserve leaders who honor their oath – not exploit it; who protect our interest – not plunder it. Institutions that uphold the truth – not bury it.
Ordinary Filipinos have carried the burden of the nation long enough while public officials satiate their greed. If we don’t change now, this institutional rot will fester.
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Email: andrew_rs6@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan