Members of civil society coalitions, youth, and anti-corruption groups hold a protest at the EDSA People Power Monument in Quezon City on September 21, 2025, to condemn systemic corruption in the country. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News
MANILA — Filipinos have the power to put a stop to deeply entrenched corruption in government by electing the right leaders in office, a Palace official said Sunday, September 21.
Thousands of students, activists, church groups, ordinary citizens, and celebrities took to the streets on Sunday to deplore the alleged misuse and theft of billions of pesos in flood control funds recently exposed in congressional probes.
Part of their call is for the government to recover stolen money — allegedly obtained through a pay-off scheme which involved politicians, government contractors, and public works officials — and jail those who are behind the corruption controversy.
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While government inquiries as well as the investigation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure are underway, there are fears that the initiatives will not result in true accountability against the personalities.
For Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, it is not just President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who can end the systemic corruption that has been plaguing the government for decades.
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Filipinos, she said, have the "obligation" to pick "right leaders" in positions of power.
"Paulit-ulit na lang nandiyan pa rin sila, hindi rin tayo nadadala 'yung mga botante hindi rin nadala so porke't sasabihin nila nagbigay ng 500 [pesos] boto na. Hindi dapat ganoon matuto tayo," she told ABS-CBN News, referring to the widespread vote-buying practice during election season.
(Same names have been elected again and again, and we are not learning our lessons. We vote for them just because we receive P500. That should not be the case.)
"Kahit gaano kaganda 'yung batas, kung 'yung lider may utak kriminal gagawa at gagawa 'yan [ng paraan] para makalusot. Ang pinakamaganda rito … taumbayan ang mamili ng tamang lider," Castro added.
(Leaders with criminal minds can still get away with well-crafted laws to achieve their goals. What's best here is that the public should pick the right leaders.)
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Marcos supports the public's assembly to express anger and call for accountability for the flood control scandal, she also said, noting that the President was monitoring the demonstrations.
"'Yan din ang gusto ng Pangulo maipahatid dito sa mga nang-aabuso na ito na kayo ay hindi dapat nagnanakaw ng pondo ng bayan," she said.
(That's also what the President wanted to tell the abusers: that they should not be stealing public funds.)
"Sinimulan niya ito, siguro para mamulat 'yung tao pero ang pagmulat na 'to sana wag silang makakalimot. Dapat magtuloy-tuloy ito, dahil ito ang gusto ng Pangulo labanan ang korupsiyon kasi otherwise kung hindi niya ito sinimulan mananatiling namamayagpag 'yung mga ‘yan nagpapayaman pa rin," said Castro.
(He started this, probably to make the people aware, but hopefully they won't forget after this awakening. This should continue, because this is what the President wants, which is to fight corruption. Otherwise, if he hadn't started this, corrupt people would have kept thriving and enriching themselves.)
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