SENIOR Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen said government workers must use their collective voice to demand accountability from those in power.
“A public sector union that does not speak has disarmed itself,” Leonen said during the oath-taking of the newly elected officers of the Social Workers Employees Association of the Philippines.
He warned that silence is equivalent to surrender, noting government unions should go beyond seeking employee benefits and instead champion three key responsibilities: protecting workers’ welfare, ensuring accountability and advancing social justice.
Leonen stressed that fair compensation, safe workplaces, manageable workloads and security of tenure enable social workers and other public servants to better serve poor and vulnerable Filipinos.
“The people who carry the compassion of the state also carry its cost,” he said.
Leonen said unions give workers the collective protection needed to report wrongdoing without fear of retaliation, making accountability a core responsibility rather than a secondary advocacy.
In a related development, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said the Philippines must do more than prosecute corrupt officials.
"We have to address corruption. But we have to address [also] the culture of corruption," Cayetano said in his Kontra-SONA (State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) on Tuesday.
Cayetano said restoring public trust in government requires genuine reforms and accountability for those responsible.
"It's important that this be resolved. It's important for the public to know what's happening — what is being done, what can be done, and what reforms are possible," Cayetano said.
"People need to regain trust in their leaders and in the system. If these issues are neither acknowledged nor addressed, everyone will remain under suspicion of corruption," he added, noting no country has achieved lasting progress without confronting corruption.
