FOR DECADES, FILIPINOS have demanded an end to corruption. Every administration has promised reforms. Every election has renewed hopes for cleaner governance. Yet despite new laws, changing leadership, and repeated anti-graft campaigns, corruption remains one of the country’s most persistent obstacles to national development.
Against this backdrop, a group of retired military officers, business leaders, and governance advocates believes the conversation must move beyond exposing wrongdoing and toward building a new generation of public servants whose integrity is beyond question.
That vision will take center stage today as the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands (CCPI), headed by Jose Luis Yulo, Jr., hosts the founders and members of the Mamamayan Rebellion Against Corruption (MRAC) during a luncheon meeting at the Chamber Building in Intramuros, Manila.
More than a gathering of reform advocates, the meeting seeks to transform an ideal into a practical agenda—how to “actionize” one of the principal missions of EComp-P5: “The Best of Citizens are in Government.”
The message is simple yet ambitious: the country’s future depends not only on removing corrupt officials but also on encouraging principled, competent, and patriotic Filipinos to enter public service and strengthen government institutions from within.
Organizers say corruption cannot be defeated by criticism alone. It requires citizens who are willing to lead, businesses prepared to support ethical governance, and institutions committed to cultivating public trust.
BEYOND DIALOGUE
The dialogue reflects a growing recognition that the private sector and civil society have indispensable roles in nation-building. While government carries the responsibility of enforcing accountability, sustainable reform also depends on citizens who choose participation over indifference and service over self-interest.
Leading the discussions is Col. Hector Tarrazona (Ret.), Philippine Military Academy Class of 1968 and the principal proponent of MRAC. A longtime advocate of institutional reform, Tarrazona has spent decades working in military, financial, and civic organizations, including his participation in the Reform the AFP Movement during the political transition of the mid-1980s. Through MRAC, he continues to champion citizen participation as an essential pillar of good governance.
Joining him is Capt. Roberto D. Yap, a businessman and former military officer whose leadership in several civic organizations has focused on strengthening public accountability and encouraging responsible citizenship.
Also participating is Brig. Gen. Eliseo M. Rio Jr. (Ret.), former Acting Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology and former Commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission. Widely recognized for his work in digital governance and telecommunications modernization, Rio has consistently advocated reforms that promote transparency and improve public service delivery.
Business leader Teodoro “BoyC” Camacho IV, National President of the Rebolusyonaryong Alyansang Makabansa (RAM2), likewise joins the discussions, bringing perspectives from the private sector on the importance of ethical leadership and institutional reform.
Completing the delegation are Capt. Rafael Enriquez (Ret.), a former Philippine Airlines pilot and businessman, and Commodore Vicente Buenaventura (Ret.), former Undersecretary for Veterans Affairs and Assistant Secretary for Comptrollership of the Department of National Defense. Together, the six founding members represent decades of leadership in government, the military, finance, communications, and business.
Their diverse backgrounds underscore a common belief: that reform is neither the responsibility of government alone nor the burden of reform advocates alone. It requires partnerships among citizens, businesses, professionals, and public institutions working toward a common purpose.
The Chamber’s decision to convene the dialogue reflects an expanding view within the business community that economic growth and investment flourish where public trust is strong, institutions are credible, and governance is transparent. Investors seek stability. Citizens seek fairness. Both depend on integrity in public institutions.
Today’s meeting is therefore more than another policy discussion. It is an invitation to rethink citizenship itself—not merely as the right to demand accountability from government, but as the responsibility to help build it.
POLICY DECISION PLUS
For MRAC and its partners, the struggle against corruption begins long before investigations or prosecutions. It begins with values. It begins with leadership. Above all, it begins with ordinary Filipinos willing to place the nation’s interest above personal gain.
Whether the initiative gains wider momentum remains to be seen. But its central proposition offers a challenge that extends beyond today’s meeting: if the country’s best citizens remain outside government, who will build the institutions that every Filipino hopes to trust?
In that question lies both the urgency of the conversation and the promise of the movement.
