Marcos on addressing corruption: There's no way to do it painlessly

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said his administration is very serious about addressing corruption in the country, but admitted that there is no easy or painless way to do so.

Marcos said this in a joint press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Malacañang Palace when asked how serious the fight against corruption in the Philippines is.

“As serious as it can get… Every entity, every business entity, every government feels the corrosive influence of corruption as this completely changes the way the government can work,” Marcos said.

“It limits governments to such an extent that many of the things that…are wished for that are necessary as services to the people, the government is unable to deliver. That’s how important it is, that’s how important the effects of corruption are,” he added.

The President said that his government has to ensure that such “abusive practices” will no longer happen again.

“That’s why in this anti-corruption drive that I have started, there is no way to do it easily or painlessly. We have to turn everything on its head and to make very, very clear that these abusive practices that we have to suffer from before will no longer be allowed,” he said.

“And to find how did the system get so destroyed, how did we get to this point—we have to discover that so we don’t go and do it again and make the same mistakes,” he continued.

Marcos also stood firm that his government will not let the perpetrators go unpunished.

“Those who are found to be part of this system of corruption…they will be punished and they will provide restitution to the Filipino people. Because what they have taken is not my money, your money, or a company’s money, it’s the money from the people,” he said.

“That is the worst sin of all as far as I’m concerned, that’s the worst form of corruption as far as I'm concerned. So yes, there could not be a more serious subject in the discussions in my government right now,” he said. —KG, GMA News