Corruption is not merely the misappropriation of public funds; it is violence. It is the betrayal of our right to live with dignity. In our communities, it means flood control projects that never materialize, drainage systems left unfinished, and billions lost to kickbacks, while families wade through waist-deep waters and watch their crops rot, homes and livelihoods drown. Lives are buried and washed away, as seen in recent disasters in the Philippines and Pakistan.

The Philippine cabinet reshuffle in May 2025 was supposed to signal change, yet months later, flood control contracts worth ₱545 billion have come under scrutiny for ghost projects, substandard construction, and favoritism toward the same contractors. Leaders form commissions, suspend projects, and pledge investigations, but simply replacing officials cannot dismantle the corruption entrenched in systems of power, budgeting, contracting, and oversight.

In Mindanao and across the Philippines, corruption multiplies disasters:

• Flood control, school, agricultural support, and livelihood programs vanish into the pockets of bureaucrats, construction firms, and government officials.

•The poorest, especially farmers, fisherfolk, Lumad, Moro, and settlers, bear the worst impacts: lost harvests, damaged homes, hunger, displacement, and deepened conflict.

Our struggle against corruption is inseparable from our fight for food on our tables, peace in our lands, and climate justice. From Mindanao to Nepal, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste, youth and communities resist corruption that denies basic services, destroys forests and seas, and undermines sovereignty and development.

ᴡᴇ ᴅᴇᴍᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ʀᴇꜱʜᴜꜰꜰʟᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇꜱɪɢɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ, ᴡᴇ ᴅᴇᴍᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ, ʀᴇᴀʟ, ᴄᴏɴᴄʀᴇᴛᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ꜱʏꜱᴛᴇᴍɪᴄ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ:

1. 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚:

• Conduct full audits in all of government institutions, services and projects with accessible data, independent oversight, and enforceable consequences for all officials, contractors, and institutions.

• Enforce a legislated independent commission for infrastructures.

Open the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) and bank account information of all government officials to public review.

2. 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔:

• Reclaim stolen funds, luxury assets, and plundered wealth, and redirect them to health, education, housing, disaster relief, and rural development.

• Hold corrupt officials, contractors, and politicians accountable for their actions.

3. 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆-𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒔:

• Ensure flood control, climate adaptation, agricultural, and fisheries programs serve communities, not political interests.

• Make all bids, contracts, prices, and allocations fully transparent and accessible online for public scrutiny.

4. 𝑨𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆, 𝒇𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒔:

• Investigate and hold accountable officials involved in corruption in the Department of Agriculture (DA), including irregularities in fisheries programs and import reservations influenced by Congress leaders.

• Ensure rural communities, farmers, fisherfolk, and indigenous peoples, to fairly benefit from agricultural and fisheries resources and economic contributions.

• Protect food security and livelihoods by preventing diversion of resources to private or political interests.

5. 𝑨𝒅𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝑩𝑨𝑹𝑴𝑴 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏:

• Restore trust by ensuring promised social services, development projects, and resources reach communities effectively.

• Investigate the allegations of corruption in the institutions, services and the implementation of the peace process.

6. 𝑬𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒚𝒏𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒕 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒔:

• Abolish pork barrel funds, secret intelligence funds, and opaque budget allocations.

• Pass Anti-Dynasty law and deny all businesses to win contracts in government projects with familial links to politicians.

7. 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔:

• Safeguard lands, waters, and ecosystems to prevent climate disasters from being worsened by mismanagement or corruption.

• Seriously investigate and end the killings and atrocities against the Indigenous Peoples and Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples in the BARMM, and fulfill their right to self-governance.

8. 𝑰𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔:

• Prioritize health, education, sustainable farming, and disaster-proof infrastructure for all communities.

9. 𝑬𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒏𝒔:

• Support actions, investigations, and mechanisms that expose corruption and enable the public to demand accountability.

• Pass a meaningful Freedom of Information Law to strengthen citizen oversight and trust in public institutions.

From Mindanao to Nepal, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and beyond, our struggles are one. 𝙉𝙤 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙉𝙤 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧. 𝙉𝙤 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙜𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣! 𝙔𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙩𝙮, 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚, 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚-𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨!

𝙈𝙖𝙜𝙠𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙖! 𝙏𝙖𝙮𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙮𝙤𝙣! 𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙨 𝙣𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝙨𝙖 𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙮 𝙣𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙖𝙜𝙤!

𝙇𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙝𝙤𝙠 𝙨𝙖 𝙢𝙜𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙨 𝙠𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙖-𝙠𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙨𝙮𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙡 𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙖 𝙢𝙜𝙖 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙠𝙤𝙩!

**Magkaisa! Tayo ang solusyon! Kilos na para sa tunay na pagbabago!**
“Unite! We are the solution! Act now for real change!”

**Lumahok sa mga pagkilos kontra-korupsyon at maninigil ng pananagutan sa mga sangkot!**
“Participate in anti-corruption movements and demand accountability from those involved!”

𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐃

[1] Kilusang Maralita Sa Kanayunan (KILOSKA)

[2] Ranao Women and Children Resource Center Inc (RWCRC)

[3] Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (LAHRA)

[4] Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Karapatang Pantao (AMKP)

[5] Sumpay Mindanao (SUMPAY)

[6] Timuay Justice and Governance (TJG)

[7] Tri-People’ Organization against Disasters (TRIPOD) Foundation, Inc

[8] Multi-Stakeholders Initiative for Humanitarian Actions against Disasters (MIHANDS)

[9] Mindanao Tri-People Women Resource Center (MTWRC)

[10] LABAN Kababaihan!

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