Senator Alan Peter Cayetano urged Filipinos to confront the country’s corruption crisis not only with political and legal reforms but also through what he described as “repentance and national renewal.”

Speaking in a Facebook live session, Cayetano said that while ongoing investigations on anomalous projects — such as the flood control controversy — are necessary, the deeper problem is moral and spiritual.

The senator pointed to the Philippines’ history, saying the country was once second only to Japan in Asia in the 1960s, but corruption and mismanagement caused it to fall behind its neighbors.

He called on public officials to exercise humility and self-sacrifice.

“Now is the opportunity to make self-sacrifice. To give all of us, give ourselves. So what kung next election wala na tayong position? Ang importante magbabago,” Cayetano said.

Cayetano also cautioned against political infighting and attempts to sow confusion in the ongoing probes on alleged “ghost projects.”

“Lahat po ng guilty sinungaling. Nag-ghost project nga eh. Kung nag-ghost project ka, kasinungalingan na yun kasi sinabi mo may project na wala naman. So i-expect mo na magsisinungaling,” he said

Cayetano stressed that corruption is embedded in systems and culture — from vote buying to gambling revenues — and that addressing it requires more than prosecutions.

“You cannot have good governance if you have a corrupt mentality.,” he said.

He ended his talk with a prayer for national healing, calling on Filipinos — at home and abroad — to stand together for reform, not just out of anger, but out of a desire for true transformation.