President Marcos described his administration’s anti-corruption campaign as a painful but necessary “major surgery,” saying the country must “bleed” in the short term to remove systemic problems that have plagued the government for decades.

Speaking at the annual Year-end Media Fellowship in Malacañan, the President said he knew the reforms would be disruptive, but insisted that the old ways of doing things had to be dismantled to prevent entrenched abuse from continuing.

“We are trying precisely to change the entire system,” he said Wednesday evening, Dec. 3.

“When you have to excise a cancer out of such a complicated system, you need to do some very major surgery. And when you do that, you will bleed. And that is what we had to go through,” he added.

Marcos asked for the Filipinos’ understanding as he acknowledged that they are bearing the brunt of the transition.

“I am sorry that the people suffered because of it, but it had to be done,” he said, emphasizing that decades-old practices would “just continue” without drastic intervention.

Despite this, the President is confident the country can recover quickly.

“We are Filipinos. We may be bleeding now, but we will also heal very, very quickly,” he said.

Marcos rejected claims that the administration is directionless, saying he and his advisers are fully aware of the steps being taken to overhaul government processes.

“Between myself and those who are helping me and advising me, I think we know how,” he said.

“It’s not as if we are lost, and we do not know what we are going to do. We know what we are doing,” he added.

The President vowed to sustain efforts to curb corruption, abuse, and entitlement within the bureaucracy.

“We will continue this campaign on corruption. We will continue our campaign on this abuse, and this entitlement that has shocked everyone, myself included,” he said.

Despite the intensity of the reforms, Marcos said the government is racing against time.

“There’s very little time to do it in… but if we work 24/7 like we always have, I think we can do it,” he said.

President Marcos also thanked Palace reporters for helping the public understand the administration’s decisions during a turbulent period.

“This is not an easy thing to explain to the average citizen,” he said, noting that most Filipinos are focused on day-to-day concerns rather than structural reforms.

He added that the role of the government is important as it holds the government accountable for its actions.

“Hindi naman namin pwedeng sabihin, ‘Wag na kayong maingay. Basta tama itong ginagawa namin.’ Hindi puwede iyon. Kailangan namin kayo (We cannot tell the public to keep quiet and just say what we’re doing is right. That’s unacceptable. We need you),” he said.

While acknowledging that some will disagree with government decisions, he said dissent is normal in a democracy.

“There will always be opposition. But that’s fine,” Marcos said.

President Marcos has ordered an investigation into the alleged corruption in flood control projects. Arrest warrants have been issued against 17 individuals, including former lawmaker Zaldy Co, who is out of the country, while more cases against more individuals have been referred to the Office of the Ombudsman.