Working together works

In recent months, much has been said about public anger—anger over corruption, over waste, and over institutions that seem unable or unwilling to reform. As part of the Roundtable for Inclusive Development (RFID), we have lived through that anger ourselves. But we have also seen what happens when anger is paired with discipline, data, and an unlikely coalition of people who decide to work together anyway.

RFID began quietly, without a manifesto or grand design. It started as a coming together of leaders from the Church, business, academe, and civil society. These are people who did not always agree, who came from very different traditions, but who shared a common frustration with how national resources were being allocated and abused. What bound us together was not ideology or partisan loyalty, but a shared conviction that the national budget is not just a technical document: it is a moral one.

What followed surprised even those of us involved.

Out of this small platform emerged a deeper collaboration with a wide volunteer network now fondly called the “Angry Nerds”: data scientists, engineers, finance professionals, technologists, planners, and researchers who were tired of shouting into the void and decided instead to read the fine print. Together, we combed through thousands of pages of budget documents, infrastructure line items, flood control allocations, and unprogrammed appropriations. What we found were not abstract problems, but patterns such as duplication, opacity, outdated assumptions, and projects that carried high corruption, fiscal, and climate risk.

The value of this collaboration was not only in uncovering problems, but in how it translated outrage into evidence-based, practical recommendations. Church leaders helped ground the work in ethics and social impact. Business leaders brought governance, risk, and accountability perspectives. Academics ensured the schools were engaged and informed. Civil society groups kept the focus on people and participation. Retired and active public servants, some from Congress, Cabinet, and even the security sector, helped stress-test proposals against the realities of government.

The results, while modest, have been meaningful. Our analysis of flood control and infrastructure spending helped surface red flags that later became part of the national conversation. Several of our recommendations on pork, unprogrammed appropriations, and budget transparency were picked up by the media and echoed in legislative hearings. More importantly, some reforms, such as livestreaming the bicameral conference committee and moving toward machine-readable budget data, were adopted by the Senate, changes that once seemed improbable.

These are not victories to celebrate too loudly. Much remains unresolved. Patronage politics persist. Social protection remains underfunded. Accountability takes time. But these early gains remind us that reform does not only come from elections or street protests. It can also come from people choosing to sit at the same table, argue constructively, and work patiently through evidence.

The larger lesson from RFID’s brief experience is that collaboration works when it is anchored on shared values, disciplined by facts, and open to people beyond one’s usual circles. It works when anger is not dismissed, but organized. When expertise is volunteered, not hoarded. When institutions are criticized, but not abandoned.

This approach should not remain confined to national budget debates. We believe it is time for more Filipinos to self-organize, to build local coalitions across sectors, professions, and beliefs; to engage local leaders consistently, not only during crises; and to ground advocacy in concrete policy demands that respond to real needs in communities. National reform is fragile without local roots.

As we move toward the 2028 elections, this work becomes even more urgent. We must resist the temptation to frame our choices around personalities alone. What our country needs is sustained public engagement around policies. Elections matter, but what matters more is whether citizens remain organized and vigilant before, during, and long after ballots are cast.

Regardless of where we are in our careers or positions, the invitation is the same: to step out of our silos, to work with people who do not look or think like us, and to believe that small, collective efforts can still bend large systems.

In a time of cynicism, collaboration—rooted in love of country and guided by evidence—may be one of the most quietly radical acts we can choose.

Working together works!

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Ramon R. del Rosario Jr. is a former chair and current trustee of the Makati Business Club. He is also the coconvenor of RFID and cochairs the Philippine Investment Management-De La Salle University Center for Business and Society, which advocates that business should be a force for good.

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Business Matters is a project of the Makati Business Club (makatibusinessclub@mbc.com.ph).