Labor coalition demands sweeping reforms to combat ‘structural corruption’

A labor coalition, citing endemic corruption and structural governance failures, is calling for sweeping political and electoral reforms to dismantle entrenched patronage networks and elite political monopolies.

The MANLABAN (Manggagawang Laban sa Bulok na Sistema, Pribatisasyon at Korapsyon) coalition said it would protest on Nov. 30 to push its agenda for “genuine and lasting change.”

Corruption is not merely a matter of individual misconduct but a “direct consequence of a political culture that is structurally built to reward patronage and protect the powerful, according to Luke Espiritu, president of MANLABAN.

MANLABAN!’s key proposals focus on breaking political monopolies, enhancing transparency and protecting workers’ rights.

The group demands establishing credible, transparent and enforceable qualification standards for candidates, strengthening regulations against political dynasties and patronage networks, requiring full transparency in campaign financing and promoting genuine sectoral representation to reduce the “elite capture of policymaking.”

It is also pushing for mandatory publication and independent review of all major public-private agreements.

The coalition seeks to rebuild regulatory bodies to ensure independence, capacity and strict enforcement of performance standards.

The group called for the protection of workers’ rights to ensure job security, stable benefits and full compliance with labor standards by both public and private operators.

MANLABAN said recent issues, including a national budget scandal and controversies surrounding a flood control project, are merely “fragments of a much larger, structural governance crisis.”

The coalition also criticized several privatization projects including the Pagbilao power plant’s alleged trampling of labor rights and the lack of transparency in the NAIA award. They claim these are symptoms of a broader “chronic lack of accountability, political capture and institutions that prioritize profit or political survival over public welfare.”

“If the government cannot deliver even the most basic services and opts to pass on its obligation to profit-driven contractor oligarchs, how ordinary people access basic services? Moreso, how can you expect it to address corruption” said MANLABAN lead organizer Glecy Naquita.

The systemic breakdown has resulted in severe consequences for Filipinos, including rising fees, unreliable services, job insecurity for workers and the threat of labor abuse, Naquita said.

“We cannot fix the country by pinning blame on one anomaly or one official. The real enemy is a political system that allows corruption and abuse to thrive,” Partido Lakas ng Masa president and MANLABAN convenor Leody De Guzman said.

“If we want a government that truly serves the people, we must start with political and election reforms that will finally dismantle the old system and build a fair, accountable one,” said De Guzman.