Actor Dingdong Dantes slams 'corruption and inequality' in PH: ' Who do we trust?'
Actor Dingdong Dantes (Facebook)
Award-winning actor Dingdong Dantes addressed the country's corruption issues, stating that he has never felt "disillusioned, anxious, disturbed, and angry all at once."
In a lengthy Facebook post entitled "What is happening to the world today?" on Sept. 13, Dingdong said he and his wife, actress Marian Rivera, were aware of the issues as they watched the Senate hearings unfold on television.
"Early this week, while watching the hearings with my wife—as stories of corruption unfolded—we asked ourselves: What kind of future will our children inherit? Will they grow up in a society that values truth, integrity, and compassion, or one that normalizes deceit and greed?" the actor wrote.
Dingdong continued, "As parents, we know we cannot shield them forever. One day, they will face the world with their own eyes, their own voice, their own choices. The question is: how do we prepare them? How do we make sure they inherit not our fears, but our courage?
'"Aaminin ko… I have never felt so disillusioned, anxious, disturbed, and angry all at once. Not just because I now know the taxes I’ve paid have been “played” with (pun intended)—but because the very institutions meant to secure our future may also be the same ones denying it to our children. This goes beyond corruption in the legal sense—and that pains me the most," he said.
Dingdong cited the importance of dialogue, "but it must lead to action.""And that action begins with accountability. Those entrusted with responsibility must be held to the highest standard—not to serve themselves, but to choose what is right," the actor also said.
Despite the corrupt leaders in the country, Dingdong believes there are still leaders who continue to hold on to their values, honor and integrity.
"There are still a few who quietly and steadfastly choose what is right. Their example reminds us that courage and discipline are still possible, even in difficult times,"Dingdong added. The full post of Dingdong:
"What is happening to the world today?!"
"In one part of the globe, war rages on—neighbors turning against neighbors, families displaced, entire communities torn apart. In another, protests erupt in the streets, swelling into unrest that pits citizens against authority. Elsewhere, governments rise and fall in quick succession, leadership changing hands in the span of a year. And just the other day, a young man who dared to speak his truth was silenced forever, shot before a crowd that came only to listen.
"And here we are, in the Philippines, caught in what I believe is the vilest controversy of our time. We face challenges rooted in systemic issues—corruption and inequality—that have crippled our development and clouded our hope.
"Early this week, while watching the hearings with my wife—as stories of corruption unfolded—we asked ourselves: What kind of future will our children inherit? Will they grow up in a society that values truth, integrity, and compassion, or one that normalizes deceit and greed?
"As parents, we know we cannot shield them forever. One day, they will face the world with their own eyes, their own voice, their own choices. The question is: how do we prepare them? How do we make sure they inherit not our fears, but our courage?
"Aaminin ko… I have never felt so disillusioned, anxious, disturbed, and angry all at once. Not just because I now know the taxes I’ve paid have been “played” with (pun intended)—but because the very institutions meant to secure our future may also be the same ones denying it to our children. This goes beyond corruption in the legal sense—and that pains me the most.
"And while I have the space to wrestle with these questions, millions of Filipinos are literally drowning in despair—carrying the daily weight of injustice, corruption, and broken systems. Their suffering is not abstract; it is the lived consequence of corruption that has stalled our nation’s progress.
The Philippine flag
"For years, many of us have tried to do good in our own small ways. Yet on the bigger stage, what we see too often are selfish motives parading as leadership. Who do we turn to? Where do we run? Who do we trust?
"Perhaps it’s no coincidence that I’m also doing character studies for a new teleserye. That may be why I rewatched Breaking Bad—a story of how an ordinary man can slowly, and dangerously, become the very evil he once resisted.
"The other night, after taping for Family Feud, when everyone at home was asleep, I sneaked in a couple of episodes. I reached that part when Walter White begins his descent—when the struggling father transforms into what he once fought against.
"And I couldn’t help but wonder: isn’t this also the story of humanity? Those who harm society—are they choosing evil, or are they victims of circumstance? Maybe both. Circumstance sparks the fire, but weakness—greed, fear, the thirst for belonging—fans the flame. At the heart of it is the failure to resist corruption, the surrender to darkness. In Walter White’s fall, I see the reflection of our own generation, risking the same decay.
"So how did we get here? The painful truth is that maybe, somehow, we allowed this. Through silence, inaction, and compromise, we opened the door. We told ourselves it was normal. We convinced ourselves it was inevitable. But it is not normal. And it should never be.
"We—this generation, standing between the past and the future—should know better. And that is why we cannot close our eyes now.
"Dialogue is important, but it must lead to action. And that action begins with accountability. Those entrusted with responsibility must be held to the highest standard—not to serve themselves, but to choose what is right.
"Still, while we wait for our leaders to act, we cannot sit still. Change begins in the small, conscious choices we make—in our homes, in our communities, in our conversations…in our stories. It happens when we espouse honesty, treat others with respect, and support efforts that uplift.
"So ano na nga ba ang nangyayari sa mundo ngayon?
"Perhaps we are in that moment in the story when the character begins to feel the weight of his choices—the start of his downfall, yes, but also the stirring of his conscience. The point where he decides to right what is wrong—to choose what is right, and to hold on to what remains of his honor.
"And I hope that for us, as a people, this is that moment too. A turning point. The beginning not of our demise, but of our journey back to truth, to dignity, and to our shared humanity.
"And I still believe there are people and leaders out there who have not given up—those who continue to hold on to their integrity, their values, their honor. There are still a few who quietly and steadfastly choose what is right. Their example reminds us that courage and discipline are still possible, even in difficult times.
"Because if we choose to see, to speak, and to act, then hope will no longer be in doubt. It will be our future.
"And when that time comes—when my children, when our young people, are old enough to ask, “Anung nangyari sa mundo noon, Dad? What did we do?”—I pray we will have answers. Not excuses, but real answers. That we chose what was right. That we did what was needed. That we gave them a future worthy of their courage."