Civic groups back Marcos’ crackdown on corruption in flood projects

By Tracy Cabrera

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s campaign against corruption is gaining momentum, with several civic groups throwing their full support behind his efforts to hold erring officials and contractors accountable.

The Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reforms (PADER), Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI), and Filipinos Do Not Yield (FDNY) Movement rallied behind the President’s inspections of flood control projects, which exposed substandard work and irregularities.

Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia, convenor of the groups, lauded Marcos’ decisive actions, stressing that corruption has no place especially when lives are at stake during disasters. “We cannot afford substandard work. The President has shown that negligence and betrayal of public trust will not be tolerated,” he said.

Goitia cited Marcos’ recent inspections in Bulacan, where he uncovered missing infrastructure and poor workmanship in supposed completed flood control projects. In Calumpit, over 200 meters of river protection structures were never built, while a ₱77.1-million project in Barangay Frances used inferior materials and incomplete dredging.

Following the findings, Marcos ordered the Commission on Audit to conduct a fraud audit of all flood control projects in Bulacan. In Oriental Mindoro, he also responded to Governor Humerlito “Bonz” Dolor’s appeal to probe defective dikes and the misuse of billions in funds, while simultaneously releasing ₱46.14 million in aid for affected farmers and fisherfolk.

“This is what leadership looks like,” Goitia said. “President Marcos is not just building infrastructure; he is demanding quality, integrity, and fairness.”

Calling on Filipinos to unite, Goitia stressed: “Every peso lost to corruption takes food from someone’s table. Every botched dike endangers lives. This fight belongs to all of us.”