President Bongbong Marcos’ anti-corruption campaign will not achieve its ultimate goal of not sparing anybody because it is merely a ploy to salvage the final half of his presidency, particularly his “legacy.”

The President needs a boost after suffering back-to-back political missteps, which are the underperformance of his coalition in the 2025 midterm elections and the Supreme Court’s rejection of the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte. “So he needed a win to prove that, uh, he still is in control and he is no longer a lame duck president,” De La Salle University political analyst Julio Teehankee said.

The President himself became a sort of whistleblower by exposing the massive corruption within his own administration.

“So some people, including myself, have asked the question, are we seeing, uh, you know, this Marcos, whose family has been, uh, involved in the same issue, are we seeing him morph into a Pinoy 2.0 with his ‘mahiya naman kayo’ anti-corruption campaign? So is this a return to the ‘walang corrupt, walang mahirap’ campaign of his predecessor?” Teehankee said.

Nature cooperated with a series of torrential rains and typhoons, which exposed a syndicate within the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and within the legislature that benefited from the massive flood control scandal.

The situation that the Chief Executive faces in his campaign to rid the government of scalawags becomes challenging amid the allegations involving close allies being involved in the irregularities.

When President Marcos won, he said he should not be judged by the sins of his ancestors, but rather on what he’s going to do. And again, he reiterated that by saying, just watch him and his team address the corruption issue.

One beneficial outcome of the Marcos campaign against abuse in government is the sense of empowerment among the different sectors in society, which Teehankee said has been reawakened.

The government is thus pressured to show lasting results and prosecute crooks, including the big fish in the legislature.

The administration had pledged that all who are guilty will be punished and accountability will be exacted, but recent developments showed that it will not be the case.

Many are expected to be prosecuted, but the prosecution will stop at a certain level necessary to maintain the integrity of the President and his family.

Corruption is only one aspect that can be addressed by strengthening accountability and good governance measures, but according to Teehankee, the real root of the problem lies in political monopoly.

The monopoly in which only a handful of people are in control of power, and they are using it for their own personal, social, economic and political privileges. So the key here really is to make sure, through the organization of people and the support of new blood, the key is to stop political monopoly and to stop political dynasties.

That is the root cause, but the high cost of seeking an elected post is another integrity problem. Dynasties, supported by oligarchs, can often overshadow big political parties and marginalize ordinary people. Exceptionally talented and visionary young individuals who possess the idealism to truly serve their country are frequently shut out of our political system.

Uprooting one problem will reveal connections to other issues that have festered over the years.