The Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP) and Youth Against Kurakot (YAK!) assert that if Ellis Co is truly sincere, it is not enough to simply speak out against corruption while still benefiting from it. Words of sympathy are empty if they are not matched with action. The youth, whose futures have long been stolen by dynasties and corruption, demand more than statements; we demand accountability.
Ellis Co’s statement is not an act of bravery, but an admission of a truth that has been exposed time and again: billions of pesos have been siphoned away by political clans like the Co family, while students study in overcrowded classrooms, walk through flooded streets, and endure unsafe infrastructure. Every peso lost is a future stolen, and no carefully worded statement can erase that reality.
“Hindi naghahanap ang kabataan at mga estuyanteng Pilipino ng magagandang pahayag na puno ng simpatya, ang hinihingi namin ay pananagutan at kongkretong aksyon. Kung tunay na tapat si Ellis Co, kailangang talikuran niya ang sistemang nagpayaman sa kanyang pamilya at manindigan kasama ang mamamayan,” said SCAP Secretary-General and YAK! Co-Convenor Matthew Silverio.
The Alliance also emphasizes that, like Ellis Co, children of corrupt politicians must also break their silence and side with the people. It is not enough to denounce corruption from a safe distance while still profiting from dynastic wealth. The youth will continue to call on those who inherit privilege from corruption to make a choice: either protect the interests of their families, or stand with the people whose lives have been betrayed.
If Ellis truly wants to stand with the people, then sincerity must be proven through action:
– Disclose all financial and corporate ties, including his documented shares in Sunwest Construction and its sister companies.
– Renounce and divest from these business empires built on corruption, and make the process transparent to the public.
– Help return what was stolen by ensuring ill-gotten wealth is reclaimed and redirected to the Filipino people.
“Ang tunay na sinseridad ay nangangailangan ng sakripisyo. Kung tapat si Ellis Co, dapat niyang bitawan hindi lamang ang kanyang mga shares kundi pati ang kanyang pakinabang sa isang bulok na sistema—at ipakita sa aming mga kabataan at estudyante na kayang talikuran ang pribilehiyo alang-alang sa katarungan. Iyan lamang ang tanging daan pasulong,” Silverio concluded.
This is not about pitting a son against a father; it is about demanding accountability from all who benefit from a corrupt system. Ellis must show that he is willing to break free from the cycle of privilege and impunity. Anything less is not solidarity, but performance.
The youth will not be swayed by words. We demand justice, we demand accountability, and we demand systemic change to dismantle dynasties, nepotism, and corruption. If Ellis Co is truly with the people, he must prove it—not in statements, but in action.
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