Manila Bulletin
Philippines
National
'Kulang pa ang tama na!': Archbishop Villegas urges revolt vs systemic, inner corruption
Philippines
National
'Kulang pa ang tama na!': Archbishop Villegas urges revolt vs systemic, inner corruption
'Kulang pa ang tama na!': Archbishop Villegas urges revolt vs systemic, inner corruption
By Jel Santos
Published Sep 16, 2025 09:31 pm
(PHOTO: FATHER SOC FACEBOOK PAGE)
Filipinos must revolt not just against systemic corruption but also against the moral decay that enables it, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said.
“Kulang pa ang ‘Tama na!’ (Enough is not enough),” Villegas wrote in his pastoral letter, to be read in all Masses this Sunday, Sept. 21, on the eve of the 53rd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.
“We need a revolt, a revolt not just against a corrupt system; but a revolt against the corrupt hearts and souls within us that enable the corrupt to prosper.”
Villegas said September 21 must be remembered as a day of mourning for Martial Law victims, calling it “a dark morning” that only ended with the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution.
He warned against repeating the mistakes of the past, where citizens’ silence and complacency enabled tyranny and plunder.
“Sarili muna; saka na ang bayan! (Me first; the nation later!),” he said, pointing out how selfishness among citizens fed the roots of corruption.
The archbishop compared past and present corruption, noting how cronyism during Martial Law has now evolved into a deeper, multi-layered system involving politicians and private entities.
“The government machinery is corrupt. We feel helpless to change it,” Villegas said.
“The democratic system of check-and-balance is corrupt. Who can we turn to?”
He said protests, while necessary, are not enough to break the cycle of corruption unless Filipinos also confront their own complicity.
“It is not enough to be insulted when the candidates bribe us with money. Kulang pa! (It falls short!),” he said.
“We must not bribe the traffic officers and BIR and police.”
Villegas urged Filipinos to demand integrity not only from leaders but also from themselves.
“Do we citizens have enough proof in our personal and private lives that our lives are the opposite of the corrupt politicians?” he asked.
“We all have contributed to the system. The system cannot change if we do not change from the soul.”
While acknowledging the importance of rallies, he stressed that true reform requires repentance.
“Protest is good but repentance gives it power. Change is good but atonement makes it lasting,” he said.
The pastoral letter was posted on Villegas’ Facebook page on Tuesday, Sept. 16, days ahead of rallies set on Sept. 21, where various groups plan to call for accountability over the alleged flood control scam.
“Magalit sa corrupt! (Be angry at the corrupt!),” Villegas said.
“Something is better than protest. We must offer our lives as the antithesis, as the enemies of robbers and the plunderers in civil service.”