The year 2025 – at least, the second half of the year – has been an explosive one for Philippine history.
It had been a year of revelations, counter-revelations and confrontations.
Natural calamities finally revealed the staggering extent of the massive robbery of public funds throughout the years, in the form of “ghost projects” that were supposed to protect our citizens.
The government, ironically led by the son of one of the greatest thieves in Philippine history, was forced to make concrete (another ironic word, according to critics) steps to placate a public whose anger and frustration finally tipped to the boiling point.
Ghosts
Can we expect 2026 to become even more heated and explosive?
The answer, according to many political analysts, is an unequivocal yes – unless the government shows willingness to initiate genuine reforms and prosecution of those guilty of stealing from our coffers.
Even that, by the way, is an unlikely prospect, critics charge.
The reason: this government was led by a family whose history has been tainted by systemic and unfettered corruption, the effects of which we all still suffer from decades later.
“Hindi matatakasan ni Pangulong Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. ang madilim na kasaysayan ng kanyang pamilya,” a political analyst who requested anonymity told OpinYon Laguna.
But it isn’t just the ghosts of the past that haunt Marcos, Jr., as the “ghost projects” case has become a recurrent nightmare for his administration.
Scot-free
The steps the government has done to hold in account those accused of orchestrating this massive corruption remain cosmetic and far from what the public expects.
For one, out of the many accused of this gargantuan robbery, only the controversial contractor couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya have been placed behind bars as of this writing.
Many of the actors in this grotesque drama, including high-ranking officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and members of Congress particularly former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, are still enjoying their freedom.
And despite recommendations made by various government agencies, particularly the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI), to file charges against Romualdez and other officials alleged to have orchestrated the “ghost projects” scandal, many fear that this will turn out to be just another “recommendation” that will never go beyond that.
Given the recent series of rallies by various sectors in past months, expect the first quarter of 2026 to become reminiscent of the “First Quarter Storm” of 1970, OpinYon’s resident political analyst warned.
“Nag-pause lang tayo dahil sa holiday season, pero sa mga pangyayari ngayon, posibleng muling sumilakbo ang galit ng taumbayan sa unang bahagi ng 2026. The possibility of massive protests like those of what happened during the final years of President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. can become a very real possibility,” he opined.
Fading hopes
Added to this, OpinYon’s resident political analyst continued, is mounting public frustration over the still pressing problems that affect their everyday lives.
Prices of basic commodities remain high, despite inflation having eased to 1.5 percent last November. Government services remain subpar, ordinary Filipinos are still bearing the effect of the recent natural calamities, and people pay high taxes for almost every transaction, every purchase – taxes that, they feel, only go to the pockets of corrupt officials.
A recent Social Weather Station (SWS) survey is indicative of how Filipinos have become increasingly pessimistic of their prospects for 2026.
The survey, conducted from November 24 to 30, showed that 68 percent or seven out of 10 Filipinos were expecting a happy Christmas this year.
This, the SWS claimed, was an "improvement" from the 65 percent recorded last year, but it is still five points lower than the 73 percent obtained in 2022 and 2023.
As of press time, survey firms have yet to release a poll on how Filipinos view the coming new year.
But that Christmas survey is already an indication that more and more Filipinos are losing trust and confidence in the Marcos administration’s capability or even willingness to solve the country’s pressing problems.
One thing is already clear: the ordinary Filipino is still simmering with rage after all the revelations and explosions of 2025.
And it remains to be seen whether that pessimism will finally coalesce into an explosion of public anger this coming 2026 – one that will finally trigger a change of government and, some hope, a change of culture and mindset for our country.
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