Time of Reckoning Has Come: Marcos Must Resign NOW

 By: Arnedo S. Valera, Esquire

The national scandal of flood control projects—reaching the highest levels of political leadership—has broken the nation’s patience. The people are fed up. The time for peaceful transition of political power is NOW.

In every chapter of our nation’s struggle, there comes a time when silence becomes betrayal, and inaction becomes complicity. That time is now.

A Nation Betrayed by Systemic Plunder

The Filipino people have been robbed blind—again. The flood control funds meant to safeguard our communities, protect lives, and strengthen infrastructure have been turned into the very flood that drowns our democracy.

This is no longer about isolated acts of corruption. This is systemic plunder, orchestrated and protected by those who sit at the highest echelons of power.

The scale is staggering. The scandal is national. The anger is just.

This is not merely a story of rogue contractors or greedy bureaucrats. This is a national tragedy of betrayal—from the very top. The alleged insertion of hundreds of billions in public funds—without transparency, without accountability, and without shame—is an insult to every tax-paying Filipino. It is a spit in the face of every farmer abandoned by irrigation, every urban poor family who drowns when it rains, and every frontline worker left without protection.

The Hague Freedom March: A Global Cry for Justice and Sovereignty

From September 19–20, 2025, more than 500 Filipinos and supporters from Europe and the United States assembled for the Freedom March at The Hague, led by Hakbang ng Maisug, Sara Duterte Supporters (SDS) from around the world, and representatives from the Philippines.

In front of the International Criminal Court (ICC), under pouring rain and chilling winds, they waved Philippine flags alongside the flags of their adopted homes—the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, UK, Switzerland, Finland , Austria the United States, and others.

They marched not merely in protest—but in solemn defiance. They cried:

“Respect Philippine Sovereignty. Bring President Rodrigo Roa Duterte Home.”  "Marcos Resign".

This was not just an event. It was the birth of a global Filipino movement—a growing alliance of patriots across borders—demanding:

Transparency

Accountability

Peace

Security

Sovereignty

OFWs, Filipino migrants, church leaders, civil society organizations, professionals, youth groups, and human rights advocates all joined hands to reject foreign interference and the unjust surrender of Philippine jurisdiction.

They condemned the ICC’s pursuit of President Duterte for a legitimate anti-drug policy, asserting that the Philippines has become the guinea pig for an expanded concept of “crimes against humanity.”

No other sovereign state has been singled out in this manner. The Philippines has become a test case for ICC jurisdiction in Asia, undermining its domestic legal institutions, and violating the principle of complementarity.

Marcos’ Surrender of Sovereignty Is an Unforgivable Betrayal

The betrayal goes deeper than plunder.

Without judicial authority. Without a Philippine court order. And without a single ruling authorizing extradition—this government has effectively surrendered a former President, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, to a foreign tribunal.

This act is unconstitutional, immoral, and illegal.

This is not about one man.

This is about national sovereignty.

In any functioning democracy with a working judiciary, accountability begins at home. The ICC was never meant to be the first court—it is the last resort, as defined under the Rome Statute’s principle of complementarity.

By allowing or facilitating this surrender without exhausting all domestic remedies, this administration trampled due process, violated the rights of the Filipino people, and betrayed our sovereign right to self-determination.

It is not justice. It is judicial sabotage.

It is not law. It is submission.

This sets a dangerous precedent: any sitting or former leader can now be removed by foreign powers, bypassing our courts, our Constitution, and our people.

The People Have Found Their Voice

Those who ask, “But who will replace them?” forget one thing: the Filipino people are not helpless.

We are not bound to accept a choice between tyranny and chaos. We are not doomed to repeat cycles of dynastic rule and elite negotiations. There is a rising generation of Filipinos—moral, capable, courageous.

And above all, there is a power no politician controls: People Power.

To suggest the current leadership be allowed to “fix the system” is like asking arsonists to redesign the fire code. They had their chance. They failed. They looted. And now, they fear the consequences.

Let the process of truth, accountability, and national healing begin.

But it must begin with resignation.

We Do Not March in Confusion. We March with Conviction.

This is not lawlessness.

This is not hysteria.

This is not mob rule.

This is patriotism.

To stand in the streets and demand accountability is not a threat to democracy—it is its fulfillment. And those who defend the status quo under the guise of “constitutionalism” are not defending the Constitution—they are shielding tyranny with the language of law.

This Is the Hour of Reckoning

We will not wait for another commission to sweep this under the rug. We will not rely on spin doctors or damage control. We will not be pacified by token arrests of underlings.

We demand:

Full resignations

Immediate asset freezes

Independent national investigation

Restoration of the rule of law

Return of all plundered funds to the Filipino people

Let the slogan rise—from the mountains to the seashores, from Manila to Mindanao, from The Hague to Luneta:

 Marcos Resign NOW.

Accountability. Sovereignty. Justice.

No academic title, no privilege of office, and no empty rhetoric can silence the thunder of the people.

And when history writes this chapter, it will not remember who debated in ivory towers.

It will remember who marched.

By a Filipino voice unafraid,

For a nation betrayed but unbroken.

Atty. Arnedo S. Valera is Co-Executive Director and Founder of the Global Migrant Heritage Foundation and Managing Attorney of Valera & Associates, a U.S. immigration and anti-discrimination law firm he has led for over 32 years. A New York lawyer and Philippine Attorney since 1985, he is a Ford Foundation and Asia Foundation Scholar, holding a master’s degree in International Affairs, International Law, and Human Rights from Columbia University. He received further training at the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, and earned his Bachelor of Laws from Ateneo de Manila University and AB in Philosophy from the University of Santo Tomas. He is a law professor at San Beda Graduate School of Law (LLM Program) and a columnist for Inquirer.net.