‘Death penalty needed for flood control thieves’

MANILA, Philippines — Government officials and contractors who illegally obtained wealth through anomalous flood control projects should suffer the death penalty, an anti-crime and corruption watchdog said yesterday.

In the wake of allegations that hundreds of millions of pesos were stolen from the government’s coffers, the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption said it is time to reimpose the death penalty for corrupt officials in government as well as contractors.

VACC president Arsenio Evangelista said it is not enough that corrupt government officials and their cohort contractors spend the rest of their lives in jail but should be slapped with the death penalty.

“Plunder for us is the mother of all crimes simply because every one of us is affected,” he said over radio dzBB.

Republic Act 7659, or the Death Penalty Law, was implemented in the 90s but was abolished a decade later following criticisms from human rights advocates.

For Evangelista, there should be no mercy for people who commit plunder as their actions have not only affected the country’s economy but also ordinary citizens who have to wade through floods during inclement weather.

Lawyers, church vs corruption

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has launched a nationwide campaign against corruption, which would include investigation mechanisms and filing of corruption-related charges.

The IBP is undertaking a nationwide “Anti-Corruption Campaign” that includes the creation of anti-corruption help desks in all its chapters for receipt of evidence and handling of corruption-related complaints through its National Center for Legal Aid (NCLA).

To complement the work of the anti-corruption desks, the IBP said it will also create a “Committee on Good Governance to provide impartial oversight, investigate allegations of corruption and promote integrity in public service, drawing strength from our nationwide network of legal professionals.”

The twin moves are aimed at reinforcing grassroots accessibility to legal aid “with systemic oversight, bringing the legal profession into closer service to the people while reinforcing accountability at every level of government.”

Similarly, Church leaders condemned the massive corruption in the country’s flood control projects, calling it both “economic sabotage” and “a moral abomination.”

In a joint statement, Church Leaders Council for National Transformation led by Bishop Colin Bagaforo of Caritas Philippines, Bishop Robie Gaa of the Diocese of Novaliches and Bishop Efraim Tendero of the Evangelical Churches of the Philippines, noted that based on the detailed report of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, billions of pesos allocated for flood protection were siphoned off through ghost projects, substandard works and favoritism, leaving only 40 percent of funds reaching their intended purpose.

The Church leaders asked Filipinos to demand transparency and accountability in government projects; support reforms that ensure funds reach their legitimate beneficiaries; and uphold ecological stewardship as a form of justice and protection for the vulnerable.

Substandard projects in UP

In a related development, the University of the Philippines (UP) System Office of Sectoral Regents expressed concern over the state of some infrastructure projects undertaken in UP in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) during the past decade.

UP System Student Regent Ron Dexter Clemente, Faculty Regent Early Sol Gadong and Staff Regent Marie Theresa Alambra, in a joint statement, cited the recent heavy flooding inside the UP Diliman campus following torrential rains in Quezon City last Aug. 30.

It noted that the Student Union Building (SUB), which houses several student institutions as well as the Office of the Sectoral Regents, was constructed by Devex Incorporated and N.B. Avila Construction in a joint venture.

“These contractors figured in at least eight flood control projects in Cavite, where many areas, including Trece Martires, experienced severe flooding in recent months. N.B. Avila Construction alone, either independently or in joint ventures, carried out no less than 19 flood control projects in Cavite,” the Office of the Sectoral Regents added.

“What raises our gravest concern is that the SUB itself, barely three years since its inauguration, is already showing signs of substandard construction,” the statement noted, including leaking ceilings on almost all floors, causing heavy flooding in several levels of the structure during heavy rains.

“We have also experienced frequently malfunctioning elevators, and visible cracks on its concrete walls. These often disrupt the operations of student institutions and offices housed in the building. More importantly, though, they compromise our safety.”

It added that the UP administration must immediately investigate the sorry state of this new building and review the processes and safeguards by which DPWH entered into contracts with private contractors in UP projects. — Elizabeth Marcelo, Bella Cariaso