Transparency complaints in Kalinga remain stalled

BAGUIO CITY — Watchdog group SAVE Kalinga Inc. has raised concerns over the lack of progress in several transparency and accountability complaints it filed before the Office of the Ombudsman involving the use of public funds and ethical governance in the province.

The complaints, filed on 3 December 2025, involve issues ranging from allegedly questionable government contracts to the naming of a publicly funded university building after a living politician.

One of the cases concerns Kalinga State University and the naming of a university building after a politician. According to the group, respondents from the university have already submitted affidavit-answers, which are currently under review by the complainants.

SAVE Kalinga argued that using public academic facilities for political branding or personal glorification violates the neutrality expected from public institutions. The name of the politician has since been removed from the building.

The group also cited two other pending complaints involving construction contracts, including P279 million worth of projects allegedly awarded to a business owned by the sibling of a sitting official and another P14.4 million in contracts allegedly granted to a corporation controlled by a single political family.

According to the watchdog group, complainants have yet to receive copies of the respondents’ answers in the two cases despite legal disclosure requirements.

SAVE Kalinga said its legal actions are anchored on indigenous Kalinga concepts such as “paniyaw” or taboo and “bain” or shame, which the group described as principles tied to moral integrity and accountability.

The organization also claimed that technical audits it conducted indicated discrepancies between official completion reports and the actual physical condition of provincial roads.

SAVE Kalinga said it plans to file a motion for status update before the Ombudsman to compel respondents to address the allegations and to push for greater transparency in the use of public funds.