THE PRESIDENT of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to “give teeth” to the law and spare no one in fulfilling his promise to curb corruption.
CBCP president Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David called on Marcos to stand by what he started during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), which saw the President ordering a probe into anomalous flood control projects.
“Do your work. Stand by what you started…Prove that you will see it through by conducting a truly transparent investigation by the ICI (Independent Commission for Infrastructure), one that will genuinely pursue those who are corrupt in a manner that spares no one, wherever the investigation may lead and wherever the evidence may point,” David said in his speech at the “Trillion Peso March” rally at the EDSA People Power Monument on Sunday, Nov. 30.
“And we, the citizens, will help through a citizens’ participatory audit in the on-ground validation of infrastructure projects. We will no longer allow projects essential to our nation’s development to become ‘ghost’ projects,” he added.
The prelate was referring to the fraudulent schemes that allowed corrupt officials and contractors to pocket billions of flood control funds, a practice that yielded substandard and non-existent projects.
Several lawmakers and public works officials have been tagged in the controversy, the biggest political scandal to rock the Marcos administration to date.
Allegations of corruption have sparked several protests and calls for accountability, including the “Trillion Peso March” at the EDSA Shrine and the “Baha sa Luneta” at Rizal Park on Sept. 21.
Thomasians also staged a walkout protest in UST on Sept. 29 to demand an end to corruption.
According to David, the President called on those who are involved in the flood control mess to be ashamed, but did not name names.
“He didn’t say who exactly who should be ashamed. They even gave him a standing ovation, even those who have no shame,” David, the bishop of the Diocese of Kalookan, said.
The prelate likened the government to a malfunctioning machine with a failing control system and mechanisms of checks and balances, a condition that he said allowed corruption to “greatly flourish” into a norm.
While there were still remnants of shame in the past when corruption was exposed, the lack of embarrassment has gone too far in recent years, even as reports on substandard and overpriced projects are revealed, the cardinal added.
“Napakamahal ng mga multong iyan. Mga multong nagpapataba sa bulsa ng mga politikong halang ang bituka,” David said.
[Those ghost projects are expensive. Ghost projects that fatten the pockets of politicians without conscience.]
David urged the government to establish a “truly independent” commission that would oversee the investigation process into the flood control projects. He also urged senators and House members to serve the people if they truly have any shame left.
The prelate called for the passage of bills on budget transparency, freedom of information and prohibition of political dynasties. He also raised the need for party development reforms as well as a comprehensive review of the Local Government Code to strengthen citizen participation and sectoral representation.
“Mga kababayan, ang problema ng korapsyon ay epekto ng malaking butas sa batas na nagpapatagas sa dugo at sustansya ng ating bansa na mayaman sa buwis pero nananatiling dukha dahil hinuhuthot ang pondong pampubliko ng mga sobrang kakapal na mga tiwali,” David said.
[My countrymen, the problem of corruption is the result of huge gaps in the law that allow leakages in the blood and nutrients of our country that is rich in taxes but remains poor because public funds are being siphoned off by excessively shameless corrupt officials.]
“Hindi po aayos ang demokrasya hangga’t hindi naooperahan at naiwawaksi ang mga tumor na ito, lalong lalo na ang political dynasties na nagpapanatili ng politika ng pagpapatron at ng kultura ng ayuda.”
[Democracy will not function properly until these tumors are operated on and removed, especially the political dynasties that maintain a politics of patronage and a culture of dole out]
The protest coincided with the commemoration of the 162nd anniversary of the birth of Andres Bonifacio, the father of the Philippine Revolution. F
