Last Monday, we all heard what our President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Junior said during his State of the Nation Address (SONA). While I’m satisfied with how he delivered the speech, it’s clear that there’s a lack of satisfaction with the content. The president failed to address the issue of corruption within the bureaucracy, a problem that ranks second in what Filipinos consider a serious problem in our country today.

I don’t want to speculate. Whatever his reason, it did not sit well with most observers of his administration.

Mr. President, please don’t deny that corruption contributes to our inflation. While inflation is a global issue affecting many countries, including major economies, there are ways to mitigate the impact of high prices on goods and services. For instance, reviewing the supply chain may uncover opportunities for companies to forgo some of their profits for the benefit of the public.

Take a look at the toll fees as an example. The President could request that private toll operators suspend toll hikes until our economy has recovered. Or maybe these big oil companies. Ask them to temporarily stop oil price hikes. Doing so would surely affect our inflation rates.

Where does corruption figure in? Well, Mr. President, all of these companies are under regulation.

For me, corruption is not just a technically legal term. It’s about a public official who fails to consider the people’s welfare and neglects their original duties. This, in essence, is corruption. One might argue that it’s incompetence, but no.

Legally, an act undone by any government official may be described as misfeasance. Yes, misfeasance. Willful misfeasance.

So, Mr. President, please clean up the ranks of the bureaucracy because if left unchecked, increasing corruption could weaken your administration and possibly lead to your downfall.

I know of a few government officials, one of whom has risen through the ranks, and they are making it difficult for legitimate businesses by expecting them to pay bribes. These businesses simply want to conduct their operations without any issues. However, the officials are creating problems for them and threatening to halt their business activities because the businesses haven’t participated in corrupt practices. These businesses have been operating in the country for decades and have been abiding by the rules without engaging in corruption. 

Mr. President, please cut their heads off.