Filipino Religious demand corruption response in Marcos’ State of the Nation address

President Marcos addressed a range of topics in his speech including plans to appoint a special prosecutor to file charges against his cousin and political ally Martin Romualdez who is implicated in the flood control corruption scandal.

Filipino religious superiors called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to address “profoundly moral concerns” affecting the poor, as he delivered his annual report to Congress on Monday.

The Conference of Major Superiors in the Philippines (CMSP) – composed of priests and consecrated persons from Catholic religious orders – issued its appeal on the day of Marcos’ fifth State of the Nation Address.

CMSP members joined thousands of Filipinos who marched in a demonstration along one of the country’s longest highways, about three kilometres from the congressional building where Marcos delivered his speech.

The address is the president’s annual report to Congress, delivered every fourth Monday of July. The speech typically highlights the government’s achievements over the past year and its future targets.

Marcos addressed a range of topics in his speech including plans to appoint a special prosecutor to file charges against the former House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez, his cousin and political ally implicated in the flood control corruption scandal.

This was the biggest corruption scandal in the Philippines’ history involving the plunder of billions of pesos meant for infrastructure to prevent deadly flooding in this disaster-prone country.

“This is painful to me, but we have to do the right thing,” Marcos said in his address. “I’m not a president for my family. I’m not a president for my friend.”

In an open letter to Marcos before his speech, the CMSP said that the state of the nation “is not ultimately measured by economic growth, infrastructure projects or investment figures”.

“It is measured by whether the poor are lifted up, whether the hungry are fed, whether workers receive just wages, whether farmers and fisherfolk can live with dignity, whether Indigenous Peoples are respected, whether our youth have hope, whether justice reaches the powerless, and whether every Filipino can live in peace, freedom, and dignity,” it said.

The conference identified issues such as the hardships faced by farmers and fisherfolk, failures in the educational and health care systems, the maritime dispute with China and the effects of climate change.

“Mr President, these are not merely political or economic concerns. They are profoundly moral concerns because they concern the dignity of the human person, the integrity of creation, and the future of our nation,” the CMSP said.

In a separate statement, the ecumenical group One Faith, One Nation, One Voice said that people behind corruption should be held accountable. 

“Corruption is not an accident. It is systemic. It thrives on patronage, political dynasties, impunity and the absence of genuine accountability. While communities are drowning in floods, public funds are siphoned off, and the poor are bearing the cost,” the group said.

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