Biz groups seek jail time for corrupt individuals in flood control controversy

Thirty of the country’s most influential business groups have joined the call to hold individuals involved in the anomalies in flood control projects accountable, issuing a strong statement condemning the alleged corruption in the government’s public works contracts.

“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, primarily in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the local government units (LGUs), and the Commission on Audit (COA), for their shameful, unabated, continuing and excessive acts of graft and corruption – a crime against our people, specially those who continue to live in dire poverty,” the business groups said.

“While we take note of the President admonishing the corrupt in government, we are concerned that the guilty among these officials will 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 our people, and simply being unpatriotic and sinful,” the business groups added.

Signatories in the joint statement are the following organizations:

• 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
• Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP)
• Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI)
• Filipina CEO Circle (FCC)
• Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX)
• FinTech Alliance Philippines
• Green EDSA Movement (GEM)
• Iloilo Economic Development Foundation, Inc. (ILED)
• Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA)
• Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD)
• Justice Reform Initiative (JRI)
• Management Association of the Philippines (MAP)
• Military and Uniformed Personnel for United Philippines (MUP)
• Nextgen Organization of Women Corporate Directors (NOWCD)
• People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP)
• Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)
• Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT)
• Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA)
• Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PHILWEN)
• Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI)
• Shareholders’ Association of the Philippines (SHAREPHIL)
• Women’s Business Council Philippines (WBCP)

The business groups called for “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, especially the poor, can only be achieved by successfully punishing the corrupt,” the groups said.

On Monday, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced he would issue an executive order to formally create an Independent Commission that will look into the anomalies of flood control projects. 

As the controversies surrounding the flood control project mess unfold, the business groups stressed that their call is “not just to moderate your greed… our collective call to these corrupt officials is — please stop! Maawa naman kayo sa mga naghihirap na (taumbayan).”

With this, the groups recommended the following:

• 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 so that citizens can discern and elect officials who have good anti-corruption records
• Gather evidence 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, so that appropriate criminal and civil cases can be filed against them
• Blacklist the notorious businessmen and contractors who conspire with the corrupt politicians and officials, and never do business with these people
• Lead the individual signing of the Integrity Pledge where, among others, the leader and the company he/she leads SHALL NOT BRIBE any politician or government official in exchange for project approvals or favors
• 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

The alleged corruption in flood control projects came to light after Marcos, last month, bared that 20% of the total P545-billion budget for flood control projects was cornered by only 15 contractors, describing it as a “disturbing assessment.”

In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA 2025), the President vowed to ensure that those involved in anomalous flood control projects would be held accountable. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News