Supreme Court (SC) Senior Associate Justice (SAJ) Marvic M.V.F. Leonen has urged collective action and broader institutional reforms to fight corruption.
In a press release sent yesterday, he stressed that corruption in the country is rooted in historical and structural conditions, noting that corruption remains pervasive.
“Recent developments have further revealed the depth of fractures within our system. The ongoing public disclosures of misconduct suggest we might have a fundamental problem, possibly one rooted in the very ideological foundations of our government that still need to be critically examined,” said Leonen.
Speaking at the 2025 Sikhay Laban Sa Korapsyon (SiLaK) that took place last month, he expressed the judiciary’s commitment to integrity, transparency, and justice.
“Addressing corruption should be a clear, visible, and urgent priority for all government workers. Corruption should no longer be hidden, shielded, or perpetuated by excuses. When we hide corruption out of fear or guilt, we ensure an unjust society. We contradict the role that we should all play as agents of social justice. It is our duty as those in positions of power to do our part and expand our influence, to stabilize the currently fragile institutions we hold,” he said.
He cited reforms under the SC’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022–2027 (SPJI) including the recent approval of the 2025 Code of Judicial Conduct and Accountability, the integrity@judiciary.gov.ph platform, digitalization initiatives such as eFiling, an expanded judicial E-Library, online access to the Philippine Reports, and the Philippine Judiciary Platform.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla recently said that corruption in judiciary is severe, calling out Sandiganbayan for being ‘very good at acquitting’.
For his part, justice spokesperson Atty. Polo Martinez declined to comment on the matter explaining that “the Ombudsman is independent of the DOJ and can issue opinions in its own capacity.”
Meanwhile, Lawyer Michael Henry Yusingco admitted that corruption in the judiciary is “not new”, sharing that he has seen it firsthand.
“Part of the fault lies with lawyers and litigants. So the IBP must be part of the solution to this problem. As far as indigent litigants are concerned, a corrupt judiciary just makes securing the services they need even harder. They will continue to suffer injustices perpetrated against them without any redress from the courts,” he said.
Yusingco, who is an expert on public policy, governance, and constitutional reform, shared that livestreaming corruption trials will be a potent tool to combat corruption in general.
“It can also deter corruption within the judiciary itself. No public employee or official in his right mind would like to be pilloried by the people,” he explained.
