Let's help cure the sickness that floods our institutions

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.—with voice cracking and eyes glistening—declared in a recent podcast a reality as old as corruption itself: “Well, no one is going to admit that they’re connected to this, right? Not anyone. So, they won’t inhibit themselves.” This declaration sent shockwaves in both the halls of power and the homes of ordinary Filipinos.

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That rare moment of vulnerability revealed more than the frustration of a leader. It peeled back the rotting facade of a bureaucracy long numbed by impunity, self-preservation, and a system that rewards silence more than courage.

But let us not mistake emotion for weakness. In that honest confession lies a spark—a dangerous, necessary fire that, if nurtured, could burn away decades of rot.

President Marcos has drawn a line. His campaign to root out anomalies in flood control projects—long considered a cesspool of kickbacks, ghost contracts, and pay-to-play schemes — is just the beginning. His campaign, we believe, is not focused mainly on clogged drains and disappearing funds. More than that, this campaign is about the sickness that floods our institutions with dishonesty and dries up the nation’s faith in governance.

Yet as he pushes forward, let us remind the President and ourselves: Accountability must exempt no one.