The country’s largest business and civic groups on Thursday expressed outrage over corruption and called for an independent body to investigate and prosecute corrupt officials.
“In the strongest terms possible, we hereby declare our outrage, disgust and disappointment about the acts of many of our legislators in Congress and officials in the Executive Department… for their shameful, unabated, continuing and excessive acts of graft and corruption,” the 30 groups said in a joint statement.
The groups named specific government agencies, including the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), local government units (LGUs), and the Commission on Audit (COA), as primary areas of concern.
“It is thus important that thorough investigations be conducted by an independent body with the aim of prosecuting these corrupt officials, putting them in jail and recovering the stolen funds. Justice for the Filipino people, specially the poor, can only be achieved by successfully punishing the corrupt,” they said.
“Our call therefore is not just to ‘moderate your greed’. Our collective call to these corrupt officials is – – – Please stop. Maawa naman kayo sa mga naghihirap na taong bayan!”
The groups took note of the President admonishing the corrupt in government, but expressed concern that the guilty among these officials would continue their merry way of robbing the people and filling their pockets, completely oblivious to the fact that they are betraying the public trust, committing a treasonous act against the people and simply being unpatriotic and sinful.
The organizations agreed to help identify those who have been guilty in the conspiracy to steal from the people; participate in and support citizen and voter education campaigns to make the people aware of the evils of corruption and other malgovernance practices; gather evidences of corruption against officials in the government, particularly those in the DPWH, the LGUs and COA and their partners in crime in the private sector; and blacklist the notorious businessmen and contractors who conspire with the corrupt politicians and officials, and never do business with these people.
They also agreed to lead the individual signing of the Integrity Pledge and encourage the financial sector, particularly the banks and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), to be one with us in bringing out the money launderers and their unexplained wealth within legal and regulatory boundaries.
Signatories in the statement include the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (PHILEXPORT), Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI), Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation Inc. (SEIPI), Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) and Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX).
Others include Alliance of Women for Action towards Reform (AWARE), Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan (ANIM), Association of CPAs for Sustainability Inc. (ACPAFSI), Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP), Cebu Business Club (CBC), Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), Cebu Leads Foundation (CLF), Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands (CCPI), Connected Women, Filipina CEO Circle (FCC), FinTech Alliance Philippines and Green EDSA Movement (GEM).
Also included are Iloilo Economic Development Foundation Inc. (ILED), Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA), Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD), Justice Reform Initiative (JRI), Military and Uniformed Personnel for United Philippines (MUP), Nextgen Organization of Women Corporate Directors (NOWCD), People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), Shareholders’ Association of the Philippines (SHAREPHIL), Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PHILWEN) and Women’s Business Council Philippines (WBCP).
