MANILA — After President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. faced declining public trust amid corruption controversies, Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson said national leaders must be prepared to confront growing public anger over the misuse of public funds.

Lacson made the remarks after multiple reputable survey firms showed waning popularity for Marcos, a trend Malacañang has attributed to the administration’s efforts to make difficult decisions against corruption.

“I hope the President will not waver in his remaining years in office. I thought the momentum was already on his side with his famous ‘Mahiya naman kayo!’ SONA (State of the Nation Address) remark. Unfortunately, the Filipino people’s perception has not been kind to him, as what the latest surveys have indicated,” Lacson said in a statement.

“With a more awakened and angrier citizenry who have never been exposed before to more detailed acts of corruption and plunder of their hard-earned tax money, our national leaders have to brace themselves to address more corruption issues in 2026,” he added.

Lacson, a presidential candidate in the 2025 elections, was among the first to raise allegations surrounding the infrastructure scam at the Department of Public Works and Highways, detailing how the First District Engineering Office of Bulacan was allegedly used as a conduit for money laundering.

Following a leadership shuffle in the Senate, Lacson assumed the chairmanship of the Blue Ribbon Committee and oversaw the investigation into the alleged infrastructure scam, which implicated several House lawmakers and senators, including Sens. Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada.

“I am looking forward to being actively involved again, along with my team of like-minded individuals with renewed vigor and courage to contribute our share in informing the public through our investigations and research work in ways we know best,” Lacson said.