IMAGINE LINING up for a government permit that should take an hour or two, but somehow stretches into days; unless you know someone inside.
Imagine going to a health center where there is no doctor, no medicine, and no explanation; only an overworked and underpaid nurse apologizing for something beyond her control.
Imagine paying your taxes from your hard-earned salary, believing they will fund classrooms, roads, and hospitals; only to discover they help fund a nepo baby’s designer bag, luxury car or foreign trip.
Imagine a parent begging a public hospital for a bed for their sick child while lawmakers in Congress argue over who gets the bigger slice of the national budget.
Imagine watching a senator accused of corruption give a speech about honesty complete with Bible verses, and still get a standing ovation from his peers.
Imagine being stopped by a traffic enforcer who isn’t really looking for a violation, but for a bribe thinly disguised as “pang-kape.”
Now imagine all these small betrayals happening every day, everywhere, until they pile up into one painful question: Who can we still trust?
That’s the question haunting millions of Filipinos today.
According to the 2024 Philippine Trust Index by EON Group and Ateneo, Filipinos say they trust leaders who are competent, consistent, and have good intentions. Yet, these qualities seem to be in short supply.
Local governments still enjoy relatively high trust ratings, around 95%, because people can see and feel their services. But national institutions lag far behind: Congress at 82% and Malacañang at 81%.
In a recent 2025 Pulse Asia poll, only 49% of Filipinos said they trust the Senate, while 40% were undecided. Even the Office of the President’s trust rating has slipped in the wake of corruption scandals and controversial spending.
Worse, nine out of ten Filipinos believe public officials are involved in corruption in flood-control projects. When floodwaters rise, it’s not just the people’s homes that sink but also their faith in government.
This is not merely about stolen money. It’s about stolen dignity, stolen futures, stolen trust.
Every delayed permit, every rigged bidding, every empty campaign promise from a smiling politician erodes what little confidence people have left.
Trust is never built by ayuda, press releases or ribbon cuttings. It is built when leaders deliver on their word, treat people fairly, and serve without self-interest.
We don’t need geniuses in office. We just need leaders who keep their word and use public funds responsibly.
When government stops working for ordinary citizens, democracy stops working altogether.
When people lose faith in the system, they fall silent not because they don’t care; but because they’ve stopped expecting anything better. That silence is dangerous.
It breeds apathy instead of accountability. It normalizes lies, excuses, and corruption.
If we don’t fix this culture of distrust, we risk becoming a nation that still votes but no longer believes.
The Constitution is clear: Public office is a public trust.
But trust is never automatic; it is earned.
Right now, that trust is bleeding out, slowly, painfully, through a thousand small wounds.
It’s time to stop the bleeding.
