The business community will not support any call for the resignation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as they believe he is serious about addressing corruption in government. However, they strongly warn that the President must act decisively and swiftly to ensure that corrupt individuals are held accountable and brought to justice.
Enunina “Nina” Mangio, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), told reporters on the sidelines of the 51st Philippine Business Conference (PBC) at the SMX Convention Center that they believe in and have confidence in the President. She noted that it was President Marcos himself who exposed the massive flood control projects and identified a list of contractors involved in ghost, substandard, and incomplete infrastructure projects worth billions.
“We believe in our president. We know that he is an honest person. So we are confident. Because you can see his seriousness in addressing this. He doesn’t need to resign,” said Mangio.
However, the business sector continues to press the President to address the corruption scandal and punish those found guilty, stressing that the Filipino people are expecting concrete results.
That is why, she said, several business organizations are urging the President to take urgent and decisive action against corruption to “prevent aggressive actions to take place.”
According to Mangio, the business community believes that, “There should be someone responsible. We didn’t identify anyone, but what we are saying is that whoever discovers the investigations, the guilty should be punished. That’s what I expect.”
Already, 34 business organizations have released an urgent appeal calling on the President to act decisively. “We don’t want cover-ups. We don’t want railroading. We want really those responsible to be punished and to be identified. And the only person that can really do that, by appointing those that are really into it, in addressing it, is our president.”
The Urgent Appeal, signed by various business groups, called on President Marcos to grant the Independent Commission on Infrastructure full legal authority to prosecute the guilty without political interference.
In fact, Mangio said, accountability and good governance will headline this year’s PBC Resolutions for the President to address.
