By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter

PHILIPPINE anti-corruption efforts risk losing their deterrent effect unless investigations begin to reach senior political and business figures, a failure that could further erode public trust and shape behavior within the government in the years ahead, an analyst said.

The public is less unsettled by the absence of arrests than by a pattern in which enforcement actions appear to stop short of individuals with real political or economic weight, political science professor at the University of Makati Ederson DT. Tapia said.

Unless that boundary shifts, accountability will continue to be perceived as conditional, he warned, raising doubts about how far future probes will go.

“People feel that, even if they don’t always articulate it in sophisticated and legal terms. There’s a quiet question that hangs in the air: up to where does accountability actually go?” he said via Facebook Messenger.

The country is probing a multibillion-peso flood control scandal after President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. exposed that high-ranking public officials have been colluding with private contractors to receive kickback money in return.

Only former Public Works officials and government contractors have so far been jailed since the President flagged anomalous flood control projects in August.

As climate risks intensify and infrastructure spending rise, Mr. Tapia said unresolved questions about responsibility could fuel deeper public skepticism.

That perception, if left unaddressed, may gradually alter how citizens and officials engage with institutions. Mr. Tapia said confidence may not collapse abruptly, but its slow erosion is expected, in which anti-corruption campaigns are increasingly viewed as symbolic.

Over time, this risks weakening their ability to deter misconduct as the government rolls out larger and more complex public works programs.

Mr. Tapia said political patronage and elite networks are likely to remain decisive factors, unless reforms disrupt the advantages of delay and distance from accountability.

Those with political and economic capital often do not need to interfere directly, he said, as prolonged investigations and procedural complexity can be enough to diffuse urgency and public pressure.

Looking ahead, Mr. Tapia warned that predictable enforcement outcomes could reshape incentives within the bureaucracy. Lower-level officials may continue to face immediate exposure, while those closer to power remain insulated, reinforcing an uneven risk landscape.

“Once that pattern becomes predictable, it stops deterring behavior,” he said. “It starts shaping it.”

For the government, Mr. Tapia said, the credibility of future anti-corruption drives will hinge on whether accountability visibly extends beyond familiar limits.

Without that shift, he warned, integrity may remain part of official rhetoric, but proximity to power will continue to be seen as the safer long-term strategy.

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. urged Filipinos to approach 2026 with discipline, unity and a shared sense of purpose, framing the new year as a test of collective resolve as his administration probes a massive corruption scandal.

In his New Year’s message on Thursday, Mr. Marcos said the months ahead will require both personal discipline and national solidarity to translate lessons from the past year into progress, calling on citizens to see their choices as shaping the country’s direction.

“As we step into the unfolding days ahead, may we move forward with a clearer understanding of our role in each other’s lives and a renewed commitment to building a future shaped not by circumstance but by the strength of our will and the clarity of our collective purpose,” he said.

The President signaled that his government would press on with policies aimed at fostering unity and social cohesion, casting empathy and service as pillars of nation-building at a time when public trust and economic expectations remain under strain.

“A society thrives when its people choose empathy over indifference, service over self-interest, and hope over despair,” he said. “It is thus our commitment in the government to be relentless in pursuing a Bagong Pilipinas that nurtures unity, fosters compassion, and showcases the greatness of our kababayans.” — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

THE Philippines logged 235 fireworks-related injuries during the latest New Year period, according to its Health department on Thursday, a sharp decline from a year earlier.

The Department of Health (DoH) said the cases were recorded from Dec. 21, 2025, to 4 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2026, including 62 injuries reported during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The tally is 42% lower than the 403 cases recorded during the 2025 year-end festivities.

Health Spokesman Albert Francis E. Domingo said the lower number is encouraging but not final, as nationwide surveillance will continue until Jan. 5 to capture late hospital submissions.

“Even as we see today a lower [count] than last year’s count for fireworks-related injuries, the DoH anticipates that late reports will come in from today Jan. 1 all the way to Jan. 5. We hope the lower count will stay,” he said in a statement.

He warned that even minor burns or wounds caused by fireworks can lead to tetanus, a potentially fatal infection whose symptoms typically appear about eight days after injury and, in some cases, as late as three weeks.

Mr. Domingo urged those injured to seek immediate medical consultation, noting that tetanus vaccination is available at hospitals nationwide. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana