A potential brief shining moment for PBBM

For President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., history has presented an acid test – and perhaps, a tremendous opportunity. His father’s presidency, despite its ambitious development programs and infrastructure projects, was shrouded in controversy and weighed down by a cloud that has lingered for decades. But today, in a great moment of crisis with the biggest corruption scandal in history swirling around flood control projects, PBBM stands at a defining crossroads.

The scandal is more than just about contracts and kickbacks. It has struck a nerve with a public already weary of systemic corruption that has gone on for decades, crippling the country’s progress and eroding the people’s trust in government. Anger and frustration, along with resentment and indignation, are at their highest inflection point. The burning question now foremost in the minds of Filipinos is whether President Marcos will seize this chance to turn outrage into reform – or let it fade away into just another disappointing chapter in the long, sordid history of corruption in the Philippines.

If the President can unequivocally convince the people of his seriousness – not just through speeches but through decisive action – he may carve out a “brief shining moment” that could define his presidency. The challenge is not merely to expose wrongdoing but more importantly, to ensure that the culprits – no matter how close or powerful – face real consequences. If he succeeds in sending corrupt officials to jail, he would achieve what few leaders before him have done: prove that accountability is possible in a nation where impunity has been the rule rather than the exception.

The shadow of history is long. For decades, the Philippines has struggled under the weight of corruption scandals – from the golden bed and “arinola” (chamber pot) of Elpidio Quirino to the exposés of overpriced deals down to the repeated failures (and even complicity) of institutions that are supposed to check abuses. Each administration, regardless of ideology, has promised reform – and yet the cycle has persisted.

For President Marcos Jr., the flood control scandal is no ordinary controversy. It touches on infrastructure – his administration’s signature program of “Build Better More” – and it evokes memories of the past. This is why the stakes are so high. If he falters now, his presidency could become forever linked to the same narrative of unfulfilled promises and wasted opportunities. But if he acts with resolve, he could break the cycle, reshape the narrative of his leadership and forge his own story despite the burden of great expectations because of his family name.

History offers lessons that can serve as encouragement and inspiration. We don’t even have to look that far, because there’s one right in our neighborhood. In the 1960s, Singapore faced a corruption problem as deeply entrenched as ours. It was not rhetoric but institutional reform – and relentless enforcement – that changed its trajectory. Lee Kuan Yew and his government created a corruption-free culture by empowering independent watchdogs, raising standards of governance and demonstrating that even ministers and senior officials were not immune to punishment. Definitely, strong political will and determined leadership were crucial factors in Singapore’s fight against corruption. Today, our Southeast Asian neighbor is among the least corrupt nations in the world, emerging as the third least corrupt country in the world according to the 2024 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index released last February.

The Philippines, despite the wealth of talent and vast potential of its people, still lags very much behind – often cited as a cautionary tale of the damage that corruption can inflict on a nation’s development.

If President Marcos wishes to be remembered not just as a transitional leader but as a transformational one, he must follow a similar path: strengthen institutions, protect investigative bodies from political interference and enforce the law without fear or favor. The public is clamoring for proof that corruption can truly be punished.

Filipinos may lack many things, but outrage has never been one of them. What has been missing is leadership that channels anger into real reform – and PBBM has been presented with a rare opportunity. By using the current scandal to show determination, he can build momentum for deeper changes – possibly even constitutional reform that would strengthen institutions and weaken the stranglehold of patronage politics.

Such reforms will not be easy, nor will they be unanimously popular. Entrenched interests will fight back, and political alliances may be threatened. But the public, if convinced of a leader’s sincerity, will rally behind him who shows courage. The rage of today, if harnessed, could be the foundation of tomorrow’s lasting reforms.

Lasting legacies are rarely built on foreign trips, ribbon-cuttings or economic figures alone. They are defined by the moments when leaders faced crises and chose to rise above them.

This flood control scandal may just be the defining moment for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. If he acts decisively, jails the guilty and institutes reforms – history may yet judge him kindly as the president who finally dared to break the cycle of corruption. But if he hesitates, if he allows compromise and politics to water down the response, then he risks being remembered as just another leader who wasted a chance.

The opportunity is real, but fleeting. As the old saying warns: he who hesitates is lost.

History has not been kind to hesitation, but it remembers those who, when confronted with doubt and scandal, chose to act with courage. For President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., this may be his brief shining moment – a chance to rise above the shadows of the past and leave a legacy not of compromise, but of conviction.

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