Bishops Demand broadโ Probe into โคFlood Project Corruption
MANILA – The Catholic Bishops’ conference of the โphilippines โ(CBCP)โ is calling for a extensive investigation into corruption surrounding flood control projects, โขextending accountability beyond โขcontractors to include โlegislators, engineers, auditors, and politicalโ sponsors. โThe callโค came in a pastoral letter released โคSaturday, โคsigned byโค CBCP president Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David.
The bishops emphasized thatโ public condemnationโ should be “inclusive,” stating, โฃ”Legislators, district engineers, government auditors, and political patrons also share inโ the plunder,” alongside private contractors and financiers.โ Cardinal David directly โคreferenced โฃrecent hearings, noting the rebuke “Mahiya naman kayo!” (Have some โฃshame!) was solely directed at โcontractors.
The CBCP also raised concerns about โthe impartialityโฃ of current investigating bodies, questioning their credibility given potentialโ institutionalโค involvement. “How credible โare these inquiries when the very institutions conducting them are โthemselves implicated? Who inserted these national projects into the budget as pork,โ ofen at the expenseโข ofโ education, health and social programs?” the letter stated.
Beyond punishment,the bishops stressed the โimportance of recovering stolen funds. “Stolen wealth must be returned to the public coffers from which it was taken.โ Many of those implicated will โnot be impoverished by such reparation, yetโ the nation remains poor if โthe funds are not restored,” they wrote.
Theโค CBCP supports the formation of โขan autonomous committee to investigate anomalies and urged citizens, particularly young people, to utilize digital platforms to promote vigilance, transparency, and demand reform. The letter concluded with a call for self-reflectionโฃ within theโ Church itself, acknowledging past failures in addressing corruption.