MANILA—A coalition of business and civic groups on Tuesday expressed indignation over a multibillion-peso flood control scandal, saying corruption has “harmed and killed” Filipinos.
In a joint statement, the 106 groups, led by the Makati Business Club, said they were “outraged at government officials, “politicontractors,” private sector parties and their family and relatives—who unabashedly flaunt their lavish lifestyles as they steal our hard-earned taxpayer money.”
“We have had enough. We need to escape this vicious cycle. We must reject the system of corruption that kills our fellow Filipinos and erodes our confidence in government,” the statement said.
The coalition, which also includes 157 individual signatories, called on the government to “make corruption shameful again” and “punish corruption again.”
The signatories include Archbishop Socrates Villegas, Caloocan City Bishop Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong, former Armed Force chief Renato de Villa, former DPWH secretary Rogelio Singson, former Finance secretary Ramon del Rosario Jr., former NEDA Secretary Cielito Habito, former Central Bank governor Jose Cuisia Jr., former senator Franklin Drilon, former senator Leila de Lima and several retired military generals.
The groups also called on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to form an independent, multi-sectoral review committee to study current projects and resubmit 2026 proposals based on “proper science.”
They urged the government to move away from cement-based flood control infrastructure in favor of “nature-based flood management solutions” like reforestation and watershed restoration.
The committee, they said, should review existing studies of the country’s 18 major river basins and ensure projects follow the “5Rs: the right projects, at the right cost, with the right quality, implemented by the right people, delivered right on time.”
The coalition also made specific demands, including:
- The President should veto projects that do not adhere to proper science.
- Congress should end “opaque congressional insertions,” especially in the bicameral conference committee. The groups called for an “#OpenBicam and an #OpenBudget transparency server” to automatically report project insertions online.
- The DPWH and DBM should provide “full and genuine transparency” on past flood control projects. The groups noted that the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website, while a “laudable first step,” only includes about half of the total value of flood control projects budgeted from 2018 to 2025.
- The government should improve “people’s participation” by proactively disclosing documents for civic monitoring and potential citizens’ participatory audits with the Commission on Audit (COA).
- The government should prosecute not just “the small fish but the masterminds” behind the scandal.
The groups also called on the Bureau of Internal Revenue to investigate tax records and the Anti-Money Laundering Council to freeze assets related to the scandal.
They asked the Commission on Elections to investigate politicians who received campaign contributions from contractors who benefited from the scandal.
The coalition also pushed for the passage of a genuine Freedom of Information Law and a Beneficial Ownership Transparency Law.
