Recto trumpets government efforts vs corruption at security summit

December 14, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Executive Secretary Ralph Recto has reaffirmed President Marcos’ commitment to fight corruption in government, amid continuing investigations on alleged flood control and infrastructure project anomalies in various parts of the country.

Speaking at the 2025 National Security Summit held at the Philippine Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio on Friday, Recto declared the national government’s seriousness in addressing such problems.

He emphasized Marcos’ ongoing efforts to strengthen good governance through the fight against corruption.

Such initiatives are anchored on greater transparency in public expenditures and reforms that uphold a just national budget.

Recto stressed that corruption “robs our children’s future” and that a transparent and accountable government is indispensable to lasting peace.

He also commended the National Security Council (NSC) and participating agencies represented by the heads and senior representatives of 97 different national government agencies and private sector stakeholders who attended the summit for “heroic work that often goes unheralded,” noting that they continue to perform amid a turbulent global environment where “old certainties are vanishing and new and complex vulnerabilities are emerging.”

Recto said the government “refuses to be passively tossed around by the storms of our time,” recognizing the NSC for crafting a strategy fully aligned with the Philippine Development Plan.

He reminded attendees that national security must be felt by every Filipino – “as affordable food on the table, in job that pays enough, truth in our news feeds and trust in public institutions.”

Recto highlighted that the Marcos administration strengthens food security, expands universal health care and spends more in quality education and workforce development, reaffirming that “our greatest asset and greatest defense is the empowered, enlightened and engaged Filipino people.”

He likewise affirmed the administration’s commitment to peaceful and diplomatic engagements, noting that “the strength of our nation is measured not just within its borders but in how it is seen, heard and respected around the world.”

Recto concluded by calling on all agencies to renew their commitment to protect not only the state but “the hopes and dreams of every Filipino family, for this is how we build a secure and safe Bagong Pilipinas.”

The summit, convened by the NSC, brought together various sectors working together to advance whole-of-government and whole-of-nation coordination under the National Security Policy (NSP) 2023-2028 and the National Security Strategy (NSS) 2024.

With the theme “Advancing Strategic Synergy to Achieve National Security,” the summit underscored the Marcos administration’s commitment to coherent, evidence-based and future-oriented national security governance.

The NSC said the event aimed for strengthened inter-agency alignment, improved data-driven monitoring tools and deeper integration of security considerations into national development planning.