Insider Spotlight
“We must replace [corruption] with a system of transparency, accountability, and people’s participation that makes it harder to be bad and easier to be good,” the groups declared in a statement over the weekend.
Science over cement
The groups urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to convene an independent review committee to revalidate flood projects. They want government to move away from cement-heavy infrastructure and prioritize nature-based solutions such as reforestation and watershed restoration.
Projects, they argued, must follow the “5Rs”: the right projects, at the right cost, with the right quality, implemented by the right people, and delivered right on time.
Transparency in budgeting
Civil society also called for an end to opaque congressional “insertions” in the DPWH budget. They proposed an #OpenBicam and #OpenBudget server that tracks changes in real time, giving the public visibility on project additions.
From 2023 to 2025, congressional insertions in flood control ballooned to ₱540 billion — a record-high 22 percent of the national budget proposal.
Strengthening accountability
Groups demanded transparency beyond existing tools like the Sumbong sa Pangulo website, which covered less than half of the ₱1.2 trillion in flood control projects since 2018. They urged proactive disclosure of contractor records, tax audits of dominant firms, and enforcement of anti-money laundering safeguards.
They also pressed for passage of a Freedom of Information Law, a Beneficial Ownership Transparency Law, and the appointment of an independent Ombudsman to prosecute high-level offenders.
“We must make corruption shameful again. We must punish corruption again and immediately,” the statement said.
The bottom line
Civil society’s broad coalition is betting that systemic reforms — from transparent budgeting to science-driven projects — can prevent future scandals and rebuild trust in public infrastructure spending.
