Several business and governance organizations urged the government to move beyond prosecuting those implicated in the flood control controversy and focus on completing long-delayed reforms aimed at preventing future corruption scandals.
In a joint statement released Wednesday, the Institute of Corporate Directors, Institute for Solidarity in Asia, Justice Reform Initiative and the Management Association of the Philippines said recent legal actions against individuals linked to the controversy represent only part of the solution.
The groups noted that while the filing of plunder and related charges and the rollout of procurement reforms signal progress, many of the structural weaknesses that allowed alleged irregularities to occur remain unresolved.
According to the organizations, the country has made the most progress in strengthening beneficial ownership disclosure through measures introduced by the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the HARBOR registry. These initiatives are intended to improve transparency by identifying the individuals who ultimately benefit from corporate entities participating in government contracts.
However, they said other key reforms remain largely incomplete, particularly those involving project transparency, procurement monitoring and early detection of potential irregularities.
The groups argued that recurring controversies involving government projects point to persistent governance gaps, including weak oversight, limited transparency and delayed intervention by regulatory agencies.
Rather than relying solely on investigations after public funds have already been spent, they said government institutions should focus on systems that can detect conflicts of interest, procurement anomalies and suspicious transactions before major losses occur.
Among the measures being pushed are real-time public monitoring of major infrastructure projects, stronger integration of procurement and ownership databases, and closer coordination among oversight agencies such as the Office of the Ombudsman, Commission on Audit, Anti-Money Laundering Council, Department of Budget and Management and Securities and Exchange Commission.
The organizations also called for the swift resolution of ongoing investigations and the prosecution of all individuals implicated by evidence, while emphasizing the need to uphold due process and the rule of law.
They said the current spotlight on accountability presents an opportunity to pursue lasting institutional reforms that could strengthen public trust and reduce corruption risks in future government projects.
“The filing of cases should mark the beginning—not the end—of the reform process,” the groups said.
