Three days after the pastoral letter was released, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. spoke against corruption.
By UCA News
Widespread corruption in government infrastructure projects contributed to the severe flooding that paralyzed parts of Manila, especially the low-lying areas, according to Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
“We are told it’s the climate — yes, climate change is real, and it is devastating. But let us be clear: the real disaster here is corruption,” said the cardinal, also Archbishop of Kalookan.
Despite spending billions of pesos for flood control projects, several areas in the city continue without “an iota of improvement,” he said in a four-page pastoral letter addressed to Catholics in his diocese.
The July 25 pastoral letter emphasized that unless corruption is addressed, no long-term solutions to flooding will be possible.
According to government records, more than 5 billion pesos (approximately US$87 million) has been allocated to flood control projects in the worst-affected areas of Malabon and Navotas since 2023, the letter said.
However, residents in these areas still face problems with non-functioning floodgates, clogged canals, and poor construction, it added.
“This is not a new crisis — it is a recurring one. And this year, the delays are even worse. How many more cycles of damage and neglect must our communities endure before real accountability is demanded?” it asked.
Additionally, the cardinal also cited 142.7 billion pesos in alleged “questionable insertions” in the 2025 national budget, which some opposition politicians described as “new face of pork,” a slang term for political spending.
“Meanwhile, our people wade in sewage and sleep in damp evacuation centers,” the cardinal said.
David called on the public, especially the youth, to speak up against corruption, saying it is the only way to protect their future.
Corruption in flood control projects blamed for Manila disaster
Shanessa dela Fuente, 42, told UCA News that “it’s frustrating, because it feels like no real solution is being done, yet the government allocates a huge budget for flood control. So where did the money go? And where is the conscience of those in power?”
Rains and floods hit Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces last week after the southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones swept through the region, displacing some 6.6 million people and damaging infrastructure worth 7.1 billion pesos, officials said.
Several cities and towns, including Caloocan, Malabon, and Navotas, have been declared in “a state of calamity,” enabling them to access emergency funds for rehabilitation and recovery.
On July 28, three days after the pastoral letter was released, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. spoke out against corruption in government infrastructure, especially in flood control projects, during his fourth State of the Nation Address in Quezon City.
“Just recently, I inspected areas affected by the southwest monsoon and typhoons Crising, Dante, and Emong. I clearly saw that many flood control projects failed or collapsed, others were imaginary,” Marcos said.
“Let’s stop pretending. Everyone already knows there is corruption in these projects,” he said.
Nearly 248 billion pesos were allocated for the flood management programs under the 2025 national budget.
He vowed to hold officials accountable and directed the Department of Public Works and Highways to submit a list of all flood control projects implemented over the past three years.
He also instructed the regional project monitoring committee to report failed, unfinished, or suspected ghost projects. The list, he added, will be made public.
Featured image: Residents wade through a flooded street while others ride on a wooden boat at a village in Calumpit town, Bulacan province, north of Manila, on July 25, after a river overflowed due to heavy rains brought about by Typhoon Co-May that made landfall on the west coast. Photo courtesy of UCA News (Ted ALJIBE/AFP)
