The Advocates for National Interest (ANI) issued an open letter to President Bongbong Marcos, urging him to act decisively on long-delayed political and governance reforms. The group reminded the President of his own statements acknowledging public frustration and a demand for change.
“In the recent past, you have acknowledged that the people are suffering and wanted change by citing the results of the last local elections and telling people in government that it would not be ‘business as usual’,” the group said.
ANI warned that no amount of messaging can improve the Marcos family’s image if the President continues to hesitate on difficult decisions.
The group expressed concern over the country’s economic direction, citing reports of investors leaving instead of arriving and claims about the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas selling portions of the national gold reserves.
“Our people are angry, especially after natural calamities exposed the enormity of corruption in government and gave them a first-hand experience of its effects,” they wrote.
Despite these worries, ANI said it still wants to help the President restore public and international trust, stressing that failure to do so would hurt all Filipinos. The group urged Marcos to prioritize long-sought structural reforms.
“We strongly suggest, sir, that you ‘bite the bullet’ and publicly announce among your legislative agenda the enactment of laws that will finally define political dynasty, minimize corruption and advance electoral reforms. Anything less will be a disservice to our countrymen,” they added.
Several retired generals of the Armed Forces of the Philippines were among those who signed the letter.