Good governance group slams DPWH, corruption ‘alliance’

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY – The People’s Coalition for Good Governance (PCGG) has condemned what it described as rampant corruption within the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and other government agencies, accusing politicians and contractors of forming an “unholy alliance” that drains public funds.

In a press statement on Tuesday, PCGG convenor Wennie Sancho said this alliance has led to substandard infrastructure projects that endanger lives and hinder the country’s progress.

Sancho said the DPWH, tasked with building and maintaining essential infrastructure such as bridges and farm-to-market roads, has become a breeding ground for corruption.

He claimed that corrupt politicians and contractors are working together to siphon off billions of pesos meant for public projects.

“As a result, the people are stuck in traffic on poorly maintained roads, forced to navigate flooded streets due to substandard flood control projects, and cross bridges that collapse,” Sancho said.

He added that citizens are burdened by corruption that appears to reach every level of government.

Sancho warned that if these practices go unchecked, the country could stagnate economically and fall further into decline.

“The people will lose faith in our leaders, and the future will be bleak,” he said.

Sancho also criticized those benefitting from the alleged corruption, saying, “They live in luxury while the people struggle to make ends meet.”

He noted that the system seems rigged against ordinary citizens, with little transparency or accountability.

He described the partnership between corrupt politicians and contractors as a “cancer” consuming taxpayers’ money and public trust.

“Corruption has become so pervasive that it is not only within the system—it is the system,” he said.

Sancho added that corruption has become institutionalized and widely accepted as a norm, calling it a “vicious cycle with no end in sight.”

He likened it to a hydra-headed monster: “Once you cut off one of its heads, new ones sprout.”

Sancho emphasized that only public pressure can stop the cycle.

“Unless the people loudly demand the prosecution of corrupt politicians and contractors, the seizure of their ill-gotten wealth, and their permanent disgrace, no one—not even the government—can stop corruption,” he said.

He warned that the country’s democratic institutions may soon collapse “under the weight of their own contradictions.”

“We urge the people to act before it is too late,” Sancho said.