PROCLAIM HOPE! FIGHT THE POISON OF CORRUPTION!

Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines Statement on the Outrage Against Corruption

Luke 12:15 “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed,  for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

Corruption in our country is so deeply rooted that we have long numbed ourselves to it. Recent events have unleashed public outrage, with mounting evidence of how corruption in infrastructure projects is entrenched in structures and systems of both government and the private sector. This reinforces international assessments of corruption in the Philippines: -0.54 in the World Bank ranking on Control of Corruption in 2023, far below the global average; and a 33/100 score from Transparency International in 2024, ranking 114th out of 180 countries (World Bank, 2023; Transparency International, 2024).

Pope Francis, in Evangelii Gaudium, warns that corruption “is a process of death” that hardens hearts, normalizes injustice, and poisons hope. It institutionalizes greed and deadens conscience, producing leaders and businesses driven by self-interest for wealth and power, brazen in corrupt acts, and callously indifferent to the suffering of the poor and powerless.

CEAP supports all calls to turn outrage into a sustained proclamation of hope, with firm commitment to change and moral renewal.

To Congress, we call for laws that strengthen whistleblower protection, regulate campaign financing, mandate citizen participation in infrastructure project monitoring, and criminalize negligence in public works. To the Executive Branch, we demand transparency in procurement, strict enforcement of open and competitive bidding, and mandatory public disclosure of progress and audit reports. To the Judiciary and oversight bodies, we insist on swift prosecution of anomalies in construction projects, firm imposition of penalties on erring contractors and officials, and the publication of technical and financial audit results to ensure accountability.

To all Filipino citizens, we urge vigilance and unity: engage with public officials, monitor local projects, join community consultations, report irregularities, and refuse complicity in bribery.

To our Youth, we challenge you to rise as a generation of integrity: passionate, creative, and unafraid to use your digital and other skills to demand accountability and justice (e.g., tracking government projects, exposing anomalies on social media, volunteering in community-based monitoring).

To our Educators, let us strengthen our schools as bastions of values and integrity. Let us commit to forming ethical, discerning, and prophetic leaders of our nation, with consciences that are formed and informed, dedicated to loving and serving God and country.

This is a moment for national reflection and decisive action, for hope and for renewal, to transform our political culture: from patronage and dependence to genuine political and economic empowerment, from self-entitlement to service of the common good.