Redeeming the Philippines

The Trillion Peso March last Sunday was no street carnival, no fleeting tantrum. It was a thunderclap, a warning shot across the bow of a ship of state drifting into dangerous waters. It was the people proclaiming, with unmistakable clarity: the Republic does not belong to politicians, contractors, and their accomplices. It belongs to its citizens — the millions who work, pay taxes, and cling still to the promise of democracy.

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For years, the looting of billions was not hidden. It was conducted brazenly, under the gaze of institutions sworn to guard the public purse. The Bids and Awards Committees, the Department of Budget and Management, the Palace itself, and yes, the Commission on Audit (CoA), could not have been blind. They seem instead silent — emasculated, compromised, or complicit.

To imagine that this cycle will collapse of its own weight is folly. Political dynasties, fortified by wealth and violence, have turned corruption into dynastic inheritance. Economic monopolies protect their profits through capture of the state. A culture of impunity emboldens officials who believe, with reason, that justice can be delayed until it becomes meaningless. Unless citizens demand sharper, lawful, and relentless accountability, redemption will remain a slogan.

We spelled out last week what need to be done:

These are not maximalist demands. They are the minimum conditions for a nation to remain viable.

The obstacle is obvious. The Senate and the House of Representatives cannot be expected to legislate these reforms; they are both hopelessly conflicted. Many lawmakers are themselves implicated, or dependent on the same contractors and networks now under scrutiny.

This is why at the rally last Sunday, the call for a People’s Initiative gained traction.

Former Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno proposed reforms to tear down the walls of secrecy: mandatory open access to Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs); automatic disqualification of candidates with unresolved CoA disallowances; and passage of a long-delayed Freedom of Information Law.