By Renato Reyes Jr. | President, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan
November 17, 2025 could be the worst day for the Marcos administration so far. Key cabinet officials resigned after being exposed for their alleged involvement in massive corruption scandals. A big gathering in Luneta, supposedly aligned with the previous administration, forced the police and military to garrison Malacanang, like a scene from a zombie apocalypse. During the day, various groups continued to demand accountability from Marcos Jr and Sara Duterte, calling for their resignation and prosecution. And before the day ended, Marcos Jr was accused by his sister, in front of the Luneta crowd, that he was a cocaine user, along with the First Lady.
The twists of the day could not have been written by any script writer. No matter how hard the US and ruling elite try to manage the political crisis that they too caused, it can no longer be mitigated or resolved through media spin and statements of Palace apologists. Sumambulat na, at mukhang sasambulat pang muli. The contradictions appear to be irreconcilable for now and will likely intensify in the coming weeks.
What do the events mean for us?
- The resignation of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman came days after the Zaldy Co testimony implicating the President in budget insertions and kickbacks for projects. “Other officials” implicated in corruption are also expected to tender their courtesy resignations, according to the Palace press officer. Despite repeated denials by Malacanang, the resignations now appear as damage control moves meant to distance the President from the corruption allegations made by Zaldy Co. With these two officials, alter egos of the President involved in budget preparations and releases, now being accused of involvement in corruption, could Mr. Marcos just claim to be clueless and uninvolved?
- The 3-day Luneta rally ended on its second day, possibly because concessions were made and the political call for a regime change to install the Vice President would obviously not gaIn traction. The counterpart EDSA rally also failed to gather numbers. The AFP expressed support for the chain of command, in accordance with the US line that any destabilization would benefit China at this time. Big business and church leaders rejected any coup, junta or the ascension of Duterte as President. The anti-corruption protests continued during the day, with youth groups rejecting both Marcos and Duterte.
- The tirades of Sen. Imee Marcos against her brother the President, in front of the Luneta crowd, was timed to get the maximum political impact, and seemed intended to further erode the police and military’s confidence in the commander in chief who is now described as a drug addict. That is why Malacanang and Rep. Sandro Marcos have described the speech as “destabilization”. Whether or not these allegations of drug use are true, the consequence is that the contradictions between the Marcos and Duterte camps are set to intensify even further.
- The defense of the Marcos administration by Congress appears weak or lukewarm after several senators and congressmen were implicated in Marcos’ corruption allegations and as lawmakers’ interests are now affected by the ongoing probes. There are reported grumblings in the halls of congress. Where is the usual unity statement of all party leaders expressing unqualified support for the President?
- The corruption issues against Marcos Jr will continue to surface and it would be sheer wishful thinking on the part of some groups to hope that the corruption allegations will die down or be deflected because of the fear that the Duterte camp will benefit from these issues. There are too many moving pieces now and one cannot predict when the next expose against the President will happen. It is however understandable that there are those who still genuinely seek alternatives to both Marcos and Duterte and it is necessary to provide a clear path that rejects both political dynasties.
In light of these rapid developments, it is increasingly important to provide a clear direction for the anti-corruption struggle – one that benefits the people, not any faction of the ruling elite that is also embroiled in corruption. It is timely to discuss such alternatives to show that we are not out of options and that we are not doomed to choose between bad and worse.
Various groups have expressed the view that both Marcos and Duterte have to be held accountable, that they should resign and be prosecuted for involvement in corruption – for the budget fiasco, alleged kickbacks, misuse of confidential and other government funds and for receiving campaign donations from contractors during the 2022 elections.
A transition council, that may have some semblance of constitutional succession minus the VP, has been proposed as an interim mechanism before the holding of elections to choose a new leadership. Such a transition should be the product of the collective action of the sovereign Filipino people, of people power, to ensure that democratic sectors are represented and have a voice in the government. Those involved in the transition should be free of any involvement in the corruption mess we are seeing now.
The transition should focus on the prosecution of corrupt officials, recovery of ill-gotten wealth, immediate economic relief for the people, the banning of political dynasties and after a reasonable time, the holding of hybrid elections to ensure transparency in the vote count. It should not be a military junta or a mere replacement of one corrupt faction by another corrupt faction of the ruling elite.
The transition is not yet the culmination of the people’s struggle for genuine change but it is a significant step forward in strengthening the power of the people vs the power of the ruling classes.
During the time of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the idea of a transition council was first raised because then Vice President Noli de Castro was not an acceptable replacement. Arroyo however was not ousted because the critical mass needed to do so was not achieved and the US and other reactionary factions ensured support for Arroyo even if she was extremely isolated and detested by the people.
In a time when the entire ruling system is being indicted for bureaucratic plunder, when the top leaders are accused of corruption, the idea that a different mode other than the EDSA 2 model of succession can take place may prove to be a more reasonable and necessary alternative.
As we learned from our history, only the powerful collective action of the people can give flesh to this idea. We can endlessly debate on the pros and cons, of the composition and terms, but the most decisive factor that will settle any debate will still be the mass movement and the broad united front against corruption. Meanwhile, it is worthwhile to start discussing these options to counter political pessimism and the view that alignment with Marcos is our only viable option. The people deserve and aspire for something better.
