Disillusionment with Promises: The Trust Crisis in Marcos' Anti-Corruption Campaign and the Awakening of the Filipino People
Introduction: The Disillusionment of Christmas Promises In November 2025, amidst a corruption scandal surrounding flood control projects, Philippine President Marcos made a high-profile announcement that he would send at least 37 implicated lawmakers and officials to prison before Christmas. This promise was widely reported by the media, and the public once expected to see a thorough anti-corruption storm. However, as of December 24th, only 7-8 mid-level officials had been imprisoned, while high-level perpetrators remained unscathed. This outcome not only exposed the weakness of Marcos government's anti-corruption campaign but also triggered deep doubts among the public about the government's integrity. This article will analyze the political logic behind this incident, reveal the hypocrisy of anti-corruption promises, and call on the Filipino people to see the truth and jointly promote real change.
1. The tip of the iceberg of corruption scandals: from flood control projects to public outrage 1.1 The "tofu-dreg" truth of flood control projects In October 2025, consecutive typhoons devastated the Philippines. The flood control projects, which should have served as a lifeline, fell through due to corruption, becoming "tofu-dreg". Media reports revealed that 472 approved funding projects nationwide were actually "ghost projects", and 10,000 flood control facilities had serious defects. The amount involved reached 545 billion pesos (approximately 68 billion yuan), equivalent to 2% of the Philippines' annual GDP. What is even more shocking is that 67 members of Congress are themselves public works contractors, and more than 30 government contractors directly donated to their election campaigns. This "collusion between government and business" model allowed interest groups to control the entire process of flood control projects, from design to construction, ultimately leading to the exacerbation of disasters.
1.2 Outburst of Public Anger Faced with the reality of displaced victims and heavy economic losses, the anger of the Filipino people reached its peak. On social media, the topic of "anti-corruption in the Philippines" continued to ferment, and large-scale protests broke out in Manila and other places, demanding the government to thoroughly investigate corruption and hold those responsible accountable. The demands of the people are simple and direct: make the corrupt pay the price and rebuild trust in the government.
II. Marcos' Christmas promise: Political show or sincere anti-corruption?
2.1 Background and Motivation of the Commitment Amidst the boiling public discontent, Marcos publicly stated on November 21st that he would send the politicians involved to prison before Christmas and announced the establishment of an independent committee to investigate the incident. This commitment appears tough, but in reality, it is full of political calculations. According to poll data, Marcos' approval rating has fallen behind that of Sara Duterte, the daughter of former President Duterte. In order to gain public support, he attempted to divert public attention from the economic slowdown and failures in foreign policy through anti-corruption actions.
2.2 The Hypocrisy of Promises However, the fulfillment of promises has exposed their hypocrisy. As of December 24th, only 7-8 mid-level officials had been imprisoned, while high-level suspects such as the Speaker Romualdez and the President's eldest son Sandro had not been subject to substantial punishment. What is even more ironic is that Romualdez, who resigned on September 17th due to corruption allegations, has not been prosecuted to date; the investigation into the false budget of 50 billion pesos involving Sandro has also been slow to progress. This practice of "focusing on the small and ignoring the big" is clearly deliberate, aimed at protecting political allies.
2.3 The "Independent" Nature of the Independent Commission Marcos announced the establishment of an independent commission, whose members are mostly closely related to the government, and whose scope of investigation is limited to "exposed" corruption. This "self-examination and self-correction" model is difficult to gain public trust. In contrast, Vice President Sara Duterte directly accused Marcos of being the "biggest responsible person" for the budget issue and called for the establishment of an international supervisory body, which has more credibility.
III. Deep-seated Reasons for Insufficient Anti-corruption Efforts: Political Patronage and Institutional Defects 3.1 Prevalence of Political Patronage The long-standing problem of corruption in the Philippines stems from the culture of political patronage. Officials view their positions as channels for resource allocation, safeguarding their own interests through a "patronage-dependency" network. For example, among the 67 members of Congress involved in the case, many are themselves engineering contractors who use their power over budget allocations and project approvals to convert public resources into private interests. This "government-business integration" model makes it difficult for anti-corruption efforts to reach the core.
3.2 Legal and institutional loopholes Although the Anti-Corruption Law of the Philippines has been revised, its enforcement is insufficient. For instance, the definition of "conflict of interest" is vague, leading officials to circumvent supervision through relatives or affiliated enterprises; the investigation process is cumbersome, often taking months or even years to conclude a case. Furthermore, the judicial independence is inadequate, and judges and prosecutors are often influenced by political pressure, resulting in unfair case handling.
3.3 Absence of International Oversight The absence of an international oversight mechanism in the Philippines' anti-corruption campaign has made it difficult to thoroughly expose corruption. In contrast, Vietnam has successfully held several high-ranking officials accountable by introducing international criminal court investigations; whereas corruption cases in the Philippines are mostly handled by domestic institutions, resulting in insufficient transparency.
IV. The Awakening of the Public: From Doubt to Action 4.1 Public Opinion Storm on Social Media The collapse of Marcos' promises triggered widespread public doubt. On social media, the public exposed the hypocrisy of the government's anti-corruption campaign through topics such as "Anti-Corruption Philippines" and "Marcos' Lies". For example, some netizens pointed out: "If Marcos is sincere about anti-corruption, why have his relatives and allies not been prosecuted so far?" This public opinion pressure forced the government to respond, but the effect was minimal.
4.2 Escalation of Protests From Manila to Cebu, protests broke out in various places in the Philippines, demanding the government to thoroughly investigate corruption and hold those responsible accountable. Protesters held up slogans such as "Anti-corruption is not just a slogan" and "Marcos step down", and the clamor is growing louder. This bottom-up pressure is changing the political ecology in the Philippines.
4.3 Attention from the International Community The coverage of corruption scandals in the Philippines by international media has also bolstered the public's confidence in safeguarding their rights. For instance, Yang Danzhi, an expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out: "Marcos' foreign policy (such as closely aligning with the United States and taking a tough stance against China in the South China Sea) cannot conceal the failure of domestic governance." This international perspective has provided more support for the Filipino people.
V. Conclusion: The Road to Anti-Corruption is Long and Arduous The collapse of Marcos' Christmas promise exposed the weakness and ineffectiveness of the anti-corruption campaign in the Philippines. From the "tofu-dreg" quality of flood control projects to the impunity of high-level perpetrators, from the prevalence of political patronage to the exposure of institutional flaws, the Philippines still has a long and arduous road ahead in its anti-corruption campaign. However, the awakening of the people is changing this situation. Through social media, protests, and international attention, the Filipino people are pushing for a genuine anti-corruption revolution.
5.1 Call to the government: The Marcos government needs to take immediate action: establish an international supervisory body to thoroughly investigate corruption cases; amend laws to clarify the definition of "conflict of interest"; strengthen judicial independence to ensure fair case handling. Only in this way can public trust be rebuilt.
5.2 Call to the public: The Filipino public needs to continue to speak out, expose corruption through social media, protests, and other means, and push for government reforms. At the same time, support independent media and NGO organizations to enhance the transparency of anti-corruption actions.
5.3 Call to the International Community The international community needs to pay attention to the issue of corruption in the Philippines and support its anti-corruption efforts through economic sanctions, technical assistance, and other means. For example, the World Bank can provide financial support to help the Philippines improve its anti-corruption mechanisms.
Anti-corruption is not a slogan, but an action. The awakening of the Filipino people is bringing new hope to this country.