MANILA—President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. likened his administration’s sweeping anti-corruption reforms to a major surgery needed to remove a “cancer” in government, admitting the process has caused national discomfort but assuring the public that the country will “heal very, very quickly.”

Speaking before the Malacañang Press Corps, Marcos said the push to dismantle long-standing irregularities has been disruptive, as authorities overhaul what he described as a deeply flawed system.

“The truth of the matter is, it really has been a difficult time because I knew that what we were starting would really be disruptive, but we are trying precisely to change the entire system,” he said.

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

The President apologized for the difficulties experienced by the public, saying the reforms were necessary to prevent abuses from continuing.

“I am sorry that people suffered because of it, but it had to be done. Otherwise, we will do things the same way that we have always done, that the things that we have discovered that are being done for the last three decades will just continue,” he said.

Marcos said the country must endure “pain,” “difficulty,” and “anguish” brought about by the reforms, but expressed confidence in Filipinos’ ability to recover.

“So we have to go through that pain, go through difficulty, go through the anguish that the country is going through now. But we are Filipinos. We may be bleeding now, but we will also heal very, very quickly,” he said.

During his fourth State of the Nation Address on July 28, 2025, Marcos revealed alleged irregularities in flood control and infrastructure projects. He later formed the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), which investigated anomalous projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways and recommended filing charges against several individuals.

The Office of the Ombudsman has since filed complaints against multiple personalities, while the Anti-Money Laundering Council issued freeze orders covering around ₱12 billion worth of assets linked to the corruption scheme.

Marcos said the administration remains on course with its reform program and is prepared to continue its campaign against abuses and irregularities.

“So, it’s not as if we are lost and we do not know what we are going to do. We know what we are going to do, and we will continue this campaign against corruption. We will continue our campaign on this abuse and this entitlement that has shocked everyone, myself included,” he said.

He added that he hopes the country will eventually look back on this period and recognize the value of the sacrifices made.

“So I hope that once we go through this, and I know it will be done, once we go through this, that we will be able to look back on this and say, ‘Okay, mahirap iyong nangyari pero kailangan gawin at worth it iyong pagdusa na pinagdaanan natin para sa naging resulta.’ That is what we are hoping for,” Marcos said.

“There is very little time to do it but I really think if we work 24/7 like we always have, I think we can do it,” he added.