Former Senator Franklin Drilon has expressed deep concern over what he described as the country’s worsening problem of widespread corruption and the prevailing sense of impunity among those in power.
During the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights hearing on Wednesday, October 22, Drilon lamented that many Filipinos today seem to believe they can engage in wrongdoing without being held accountable.
“This impunity to me is because of the failure of our people, of our citizenry, to observe the rule of law. They have disregarded the rule of law… In my humble opinion, it is the failure of our justice system,” said Drilon.
He further questioned how the country reached such a point of moral and institutional decline: “How did we get here?… People feel that they can get away with wrongdoing.”
Drilon warned that a growing number of individuals now believe they can commit crimes without fear of punishment, a reflection of what he described as the erosion of trust in the justice system.
The former senator attended the Senate hearing in support of Senate Bill No. 1215, or the Infrastructure Anomalies Investigation Act of 2025, which seeks to create an Independent People’s Commission to probe alleged irregularities in government flood control projects.
Among those who also attended the hearing were Retired Chief Justice Reynato Puno, Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) Chairperson Retired Justice Andres Reyes Jr., ICI Member and Former Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, and Makati Business Club Executive Director Rafael Ongpin.