As the Right to Know Right Now Coalition (R2KRN) continues to look into the controversies around flood-control projects, it has developed a set of recommendations for consideration of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI). Signed by 130 coalition members and associates (95 individuals, 36 organizations), the position paper was submitted to the ICI this morning.
In the submission, R2KRN summarized the findings of its first four reports:
- From Admissions and Reports
- Corruption is not incidental, but systemic – sustained by collusion across officials, private actors, and institutions.
- Legislative insertions distort the national budget through pork-like allocations and misuse of unprogrammed appropriations.
- Procurement manipulation through in-house contracting, license-lending, and rigged bidding undermines competition.
- Audit compromises and “bantay-salakay” networks weaken integrity systems and render safeguards a farce.
- From the Data
- Data from DPWH and SumbongSaPangulo.ph show corruption’s nationwide spread—across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
- Clusters of contractors tied to common beneficial owners or patrons dominate multiple regions.
- Disproportionate allocations in certain districts exceed realistic absorptive capacity, signaling insertion-driven projects.
- Irregular patterns—repeated winners, overextended capacities, and fronting—confirm a coordinated system of abuse.
R2KRN’s recommendations on things for ICI to consider in its investigation cover two objectives:
- 1 – Establish the System
- Map corruption across the budget cycle, from planning to audit.
- Identify key actors, relationships, and institutional failures.
- Develop a system map and investigative template to standardize evidence-gathering and analysis.
- In consultation with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), draw up a sampling design to validate the representativeness and credibility of findings.
- 2 – Build Fact-Finding for Accountability
- Preserve and verify evidence following the investigative template, to ensure completeness, consistency, and integrity.
- Trace accountability trails to identify officials, contractors, and intermediaries involved.
- Prioritize egregious, large-scale, or high-impact cases based on clear and transparent criteria to prevent claims of bias.
- Integrate community and civil-society reporting to strengthen factual bases and protect whistleblowers.
- Make strong, well-documented referrals to prosecutorial and oversight bodies, supported by a consistent evidentiary standard.
Underlying all these should be processes and principles that uphold transparency as default; promote citizen engagement; enable safe, protected channels for whistleblowers, community monitors, and civil society participation; ensure strategic prioritization; and balance timeliness with rigor.
For its part, R2KRN commits to sustain its ongoing research and monitoring of corruption in flood-control and other infrastructure projects, consistent with the recommendations it advanced.
Read R2KRN’s submission: R2KRN Submission to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI)
See signatories as of October 9 here: