Corruption in government is not just a betrayal of public trust; it is outright theft from the people. When officials plunder funds, they are stealing from the taxes citizens dutifully pay and from the future generations already burdened by national debt. Such crimes must not be tolerated; the guilty must be made to face justice.
Every peso pocketed by these unscrupulous leaders comes from the sweat and toil of ordinary workers. Teachers, farmers, drivers, small vendors, and office employees all pay their share of taxes, expecting these funds to build roads, hospitals, schools, and social services. Instead, corrupt officials convert these projects into personal cash cows, inflating costs and pocketing commissions. It is the public that is left paying for the loans incurred to finance such projects, even as services remain inadequate.
History has shown that unchecked corruption destroys nations from within. It impoverishes citizens while enriching a small circle of plunderers. Worse, it creates a vicious cycle in which corruption breeds more corruption, as younger officials and bureaucrats see thievery as the only way to succeed. This has been the curse of Philippine governance for decades: a government that spends more time enriching its leaders than serving its citizens.
The people have the power to stop this abuse, but silence and passivity only embolden the guilty. Indonesians have recently shown that citizens can and should rise when leaders betray the nation. Street protests and mass actions are legitimate forms of resistance when institutions fail to deliver justice. The lesson is clear: when laws are bent to shield the corrupt, the people themselves must act to protect their future.
Filipino citizens must unite, demand accountability, and refuse to be complicit in silence. Institutions tasked to investigate and prosecute must be compelled to act, stripped of their timidity and complacency. Public vigilance must be constant, and when justice is denied, the streets must become the arena of the people’s sovereign will. This is the only language corrupt officials understand—the language of a people no longer willing to be robbed blind.
