The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has strongly denounced the widespread corruption tied to flood control projects, warning that the nation remains poor as long as public money is siphoned away from essential services.
CBCP president and Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, in a pastoral letter issued Saturday, stressed that accountability should not stop at identifying guilty parties. “True justice entails restitution: that stolen wealth be returned to the public coffers from which it was taken,” he said.
David criticized the credibility of ongoing probes by both chambers of Congress, pointing out that “the very institutions conducting them are themselves implicated.” He raised the question: “Who inserted these projects into the national budget as pork, often at the expense of education, health, and social programs?”
He further emphasized that corruption is not limited to a single group but is shared by “private contractors and financiers, legislators, district engineers, government auditors, and political patrons” who, he said, “share in the plunder.”
The cardinal appealed to the youth to actively use digital platforms to challenge and expose wrongdoing. “Make corruption shameful again,” he urged, adding that vigilance, honesty in daily life, and a rejection of patronage politics are key to reform.
David also called on leaders in government, business, and the Church to lead by example through modest living and rejecting excess. “Let us rise above the floods of corruption together,” he concluded.
The Executive Department and Congress are currently conducting separate inquiries into the flood control scandal.
