Watchdog targets Kalinga officials over ‘conflict of interest’

BAGUIO CITY — A transparency watchdog in Kalinga province is calling for progress on several graft and ethical complaints filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, citing a lack of movement on cases involving multimillion-peso contracts.

SAVE Kalinga Inc. filed the cases on 3 December 2025, to address concerns over the use of public funds and provincial governance. Five months later, the group says several key filings remain stalled or unanswered.

One case involves Kalinga State University and the naming of a publicly funded building after a living politician. While university respondents have submitted an affidavit-answer, the watchdog argues that using public academic structures for political branding violates institutional neutrality.

The politician’s name has since been removed from the building.

The group is also tracking two major cases involving alleged conflicts of interest in provincial infrastructure.

One case centers on P279 million in construction contracts awarded to a firm owned by the sibling of a sitting official while another involves P14.4 million in contracts given to a corporation controlled by a single political family.

SAVE Kalinga reported that it has not yet received copies of the respondents’ answers in these cases, despite legal requirements for disclosure.

The watchdog stated its legal actions are rooted in indigenous Kalinga principles, specifically the concepts of paniyaw (taboo) and bain (shame). They argue that using legislative influence to benefit family-owned businesses violates both local moral standards and national anti-graft laws.

Beyond contract awards, the group’s technical audits suggest discrepancies between official completion reports and the actual physical condition of several provincial roads.

SAVE Kalinga announced plans to file a motion for a status update with the Ombudsman to compel respondents to address the charges. The organization reiterated its commitment to monitoring the provincial treasury and the implementation of public projects.