MAJOR business and labor groups in the Philippines have banded together to demand stronger government action against corruption, calling on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to lead “firmly and fearlessly” in confronting what they described as the country’s “largest and most brazen corruption scandal.”
In an open letter released Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, Federation of Free Workers, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc., Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines urged Malacañang to restore public faith in government before “the people’s patience finally runs out.”
The letter cited findings from a September 2025 Pulse Asia survey showing that 97 percent of Filipinos believe corruption in government is widespread. It noted that more than half of respondents were ambivalent toward the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, while only 39 percent trusted the Office of the Ombudsman to address graft.
“Workers and employers have long carried the burden of building and sustaining this country through our labor, our enterprise, and our taxes,” the letter read. “That’s why we can never be silent about the harsh truth that trillions have already been stolen from the public coffers.”
The groups criticized the slow pace of government investigations and the lack of visible progress in prosecuting those involved in alleged infrastructure-related corruption cases. They urged Marcos to prove that his anti-corruption drive “is not another soundbite for selective justice” but “the start of national renewal for true justice.”
Among their proposed actions were five key measures:
1. Convening regular sectoral dialogues with workers and employers to track the anti-corruption roadmap;
2. Certifying as urgent the bill to strengthen ICI’s subpoena and contempt powers;
3. Creating a Sandiganbayan division dedicated to infrastructure corruption cases;
4. Freezing and recovering stolen assets for reallocation to social reform; and
5. Reforming the national budget process to institutionalize transparency and public participation.
“The Filipino people are no longer just watching,” the signatories warned, emphasizing that genuine anti-corruption reforms are essential to strengthen democratic institutions and prevent instability.
The letter marks a rare unified stance among labor and business sectors, traditionally on opposing sides of policy issues, underscoring mounting frustration over perceptions of deep-rooted corruption in government. / KOC