Help PHilippines: billions wasted on flood projects

[Lucius]

It will continue as long as ordinary people elect bad people to govern the country. If they do this in every election, then a large part of the responsibility lies with them. Change can only come if dishonest people are removed and those who will work for the benefit of the people are appointed.

Unfortunately this is not gonna happen since majority of the population in the Philippines are poor. And most of these poor people dont really think who is good or bad, they will only vote if they can benefit during election - like vote buying for example, which is so rampant here. Even government aid is being used as a form of vote buying.

So as long as poverty is this high, people have no choice but to go with whoever can help them, even if they know that politician is corrupt - or sometimes they’re just not educated about what’s really happening. Right now, it feels hopeless if our country will ever recover and be led by the right ones.

Politicians are almost the same everywhere, so I will tell you that I live in a country where, with small interruptions, for 30 years, a party that has been condemned as a criminal organization has ruled, and their prime minister ended up in prison - and now they are in power and are destroying the country as best they know how. The key to their success is to convince the majority of voters that nothing can be changed, and at the same time, their party army goes to the elections as if by strict military command.

Unfortunately, people in such countries have two options, to become politically active and try to change something, which is a very difficult option - or to leave the country, as is the case in my country (about 500 000 people left in ten years), but I see that a lot of Filipinos have immigrated, because they are obviously better off than in their homeland.

[abhiseshakana]

Politicians are almost the same everywhere, so I will tell you that I live in a country where, with small interruptions, for 30 years, a party that has been condemned as a criminal organization has ruled, and their prime minister ended up in prison - and now they are in power and are destroying the country as best they know how. The key to their success is to convince the majority of voters that nothing can be changed, and at the same time, their party army goes to the elections as if by strict military command.

Unfortunately, people in such countries have two options, to become politically active and try to change something, which is a very difficult option - or to leave the country, as is the case in my country (about 500 000 people left in ten years), but I see that a lot of Filipinos have immigrated, because they are obviously better off than in their homeland.

Corruption globally, particularly in Southeast Asia, remains a serious challenge, with sharp disparities between countries. Overall, ASEAN has achieved slight improvements in the corruption index compared to a decade ago, but this progress is uneven and often hampered by political interests, weak oversight institutions, and the involvement of corruption in the infrastructure and natural resource sectors.

In the Philippines, corruption is a structural issue embedded in patronage politics and the distribution of infrastructure budgets. Despite the government's frequent anti-corruption campaigns, major scandals continue to emerge. Pressure from civil society and the media remains strong, but the interconnectedness between political elites, local dynasties, and the bureaucracy often makes anti-corruption efforts inconsistent. With a stagnant CPI score of around 33, the Philippines ranks among the lowest in ASEAN. This situation demonstrates that legal reform alone is not enough; it must be accompanied by budget transparency, the independence of audit institutions, and a strengthened public oversight role.

Singapore remains a role model for clean governance and the highest CPI score in the world, while Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos rank at the bottom, with systemic corruption that is difficult to eradicate due to political conflict, weak institutions, and oligarchic dominance. Mid-sized countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia show fluctuating trends, with improvements in regulations and law enforcement, but are still overshadowed by major cases involving high-ranking officials and business elites.


https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/transparency_corruption/ASEAN/

[Findingnemo]

It will continue as long as ordinary people elect bad people to govern the country. If they do this in every election, then a large part of the responsibility lies with them. Change can only come if dishonest people are removed and those who will work for the benefit of the people are appointed.

This is the flaw of democracy, we got options to choose from A or B but what if both A and B are not fit to be elected? If we skip our vote, still someone from these two is going to get elected and that's the problem. Eradicating corruption is a long process especially when it lies into the roots of people's mindset and most of the time they don't even realize that they are committing a crime, it's just so normalised everywhere. Ultimate solution is to throw all the political parties and government officials and have a system to reelecta  leader at any point of time will create fear among the elected ones.

[Wakate]

It will continue as long as ordinary people elect bad people to govern the country. If they do this in every election, then a large part of the responsibility lies with them. Change can only come if dishonest people are removed and those who will work for the benefit of the people are appointed.

This is the flaw of democracy, we got options to choose from A or B but what if both A and B are not fit to be elected? If we skip our vote, still someone from these two is going to get elected and that's the problem. Eradicating corruption is a long process especially when it lies into the roots of people's mindset and most of the time they don't even realize that they are committing a crime, it's just so normalised everywhere. Ultimate solution is to throw all the political parties and government officials and have a system to reelecta  leader at any point of time will create fear among the elected ones.

I think this is a complete example of vote buying and it won't stop because the bad eggs are always finding their ways by all means to make sure that they are re-elected or their families get into the government house to eat from the national cake. Corruption won't stop now until their is a big revolution that will make the bad eggs to be removed and the ones eggs will come into power.

Politics is deadly and we shouldn't see it from the ordinary aspects because these bad eggs are going spiritually to make sure that they get want they want and where they want to get to without any hindrances or else, they would go spiritual to attack any person and find way to get to power by all means.

[bullbandit9]

It is really bad, and it is not isolated to these projects. This happens in most countries of the world. These days politics are extremely corrupt. If you look at some international corruption rankings, they are a complete scam and joke. It does not even tell 10% of the real story.

Help Philippines, don’t let this just pass by like another headline.

How exactly do you think outsiders can help with this? At most other people's countries could make sanctions against it, but that would require something more major for happen.

Corruption globally, particularly in Southeast Asia, remains a serious challenge, with sharp disparities between countries. Overall, ASEAN has achieved slight improvements in the corruption index compared to a decade ago, but this progress is uneven and often hampered by political interests, weak oversight institutions, and the involvement of corruption in the infrastructure and natural resource sectors.

This index itself is useless and corrupt. Don't be fooled by such things.

This is the flaw of democracy, we got options to choose from A or B but what if both A and B are not fit to be elected? If we skip our vote, still someone from these two is going to get elected and that's the problem. Eradicating corruption is a long process especially when it lies into the roots of people's mindset and most of the time they don't even realize that they are committing a crime, it's just so normalised everywhere. Ultimate solution is to throw all the political parties and government officials and have a system to reelecta  leader at any point of time will create fear among the elected ones.

Democracy sucks. It is the decision of the stupidest majority which of the few conmen are going to be stealing in the next cycle.

[Felicity_Tide]

~snip

How long will this cycle continue? funds meant to save lives end up stolen, and people are left with nothing but empty promises.

I hate to say this, but it seems so many countries might not get out this form of corrupt cycles anytime soon. It's like the system is preprogrammed to always operate like that. Honestly, it is so frustrating to keep talking about how inhuman some people can be especially those in government. Nothing surprises me anymore. People valuing their own pocket over the lives of others, and it's not as if they're working for the people from their own personal pocket.

The problem is, majority of these countries can't be liberated. The system rigged. One man can not change a country because of the too many forces that opposes liberation. Some people just find joy in seeing others suffer and it's inhuman honestly. Election is never effective in these countries because the government find ways to manipulate the people when the time comes. It is a crazy cycle honestly.

[Alphakilo]

~snip

How long will this cycle continue? funds meant to save lives end up stolen, and people are left with nothing but empty promises.

I hate to say this, but it seems so many countries might not get out this form of corrupt cycles anytime soon. It's like the system is preprogrammed to always operate like that. Honestly, it is so frustrating to keep talking about how inhuman some people can be especially those in government. Nothing surprises me anymore. People valuing their own pocket over the lives of others, and it's not as if they're working for the people from their own personal pocket.

The problem is, majority of these countries can't be liberated. The system rigged. One man can not change a country because of the too many forces that opposes liberation. Some people just find joy in seeing others suffer and it's inhuman honestly. Election is never effective in these countries because the government find ways to manipulate the people when the time comes. It is a crazy cycle honestly.

The issue of such kind of corruption is a common news we hear everyday and if it isn't from a first world country, it would be from a third world country, irrespective of the continent, it's all same stories of leaders not doing the necessary because of their unmet greed.

The help the citizens can get is to mobilize themselves and speak with a voice that's unbiased and this will put fear into the hearts of corrupt leaders and make them do better.

[bhadz]

Indonesia and Nepal have done their part to fight corruption through brutal protests. But many of us are just lurkers and watching it out because they hold the military and the Philippine national police. The situation here is different, these crocs(corrupt) are not scared of the people because they have the swindled money from our taxes and they'll just bribe anyone who'll fight against them. Like now, the investigation is going through with the house of representatives and the senate. But these two are independent bodies and doing their own thing with their way. It's sad that there's a change quickly with the leadership in the senate when the proponents, Discayas have already exposed a lot of names. Many lives are struggling and even lost when floods have come, it's not like this before when budget for flood controls have spent properly.

[Lucius]

In the Philippines, corruption is a structural issue embedded in patronage politics and the distribution of infrastructure budgets. Despite the government's frequent anti-corruption campaigns, major scandals continue to emerge. Pressure from civil society and the media remains strong, but the interconnectedness between political elites, local dynasties, and the bureaucracy often makes anti-corruption efforts inconsistent. With a stagnant CPI score of around 33, the Philippines ranks among the lowest in ASEAN. This situation demonstrates that legal reform alone is not enough; it must be accompanied by budget transparency, the independence of audit institutions, and a strengthened public oversight role.
~snip~

All of this reminds me of the situation in the EU where some countries, despite having been members of the union for more than a decade, cannot move from the bottom because the old structures do not want to change, as they are a continuation of the old communist structures that remain deeply rooted in all systems of government. When one political party rules a country for ten years continuously and has about thirty ministers who are caught in dirty business, and receives praise from Brussels, then it is a clear sign that even here in the West things are not nearly as they are portrayed.

This is the flaw of democracy, we got options to choose from A or B but what if both A and B are not fit to be elected? If we skip our vote, still someone from these two is going to get elected and that's the problem.
~snip~

Some say it's always smarter to choose the lesser evil, but I say it's important to go to the polls and exercise your right, even if that means taking the ballot and crossing everything out, thus making it invalid. In a way, it's a message to the candidates that they're all the same and not worth being elected.

A saying goes something like this: "bad people (politicians) are elected by good people who stay at home during elections."

[Findingnemo]

This is the flaw of democracy, we got options to choose from A or B but what if both A and B are not fit to be elected? If we skip our vote, still someone from these two is going to get elected and that's the problem.
~snip~

Some say it's always smarter to choose the lesser evil, but I say it's important to go to the polls and exercise your right, even if that means taking the ballot and crossing everything out, thus making it invalid. In a way, it's a message to the candidates that they're all the same and not worth being elected.

A saying goes something like this: "bad people (politicians) are elected by good people who stay at home during elections."

It is kind of hard to know that someone who is not deserving to be in there is going to be elected because there is no way for an average good joe to end up in this complicated political race and that's what these politicians exploit from us all the time. They created an image that you study hard and get a good job and then retire which brought certain mindset to majority of the people how they are going to live their life and leave room for the bad people to be in the authoritative positions.

[Lida93]

Snip

The issue of such kind of corruption is a common news we hear everyday and if it isn't from a first world country, it would be from a third world country, irrespective of the continent, it's all same stories of leaders not doing the necessary because of their unmet greed.

The help the citizens can get is to mobilize themselves and speak with a voice that's unbiased and this will put fear into the hearts of corrupt leaders and make them do better.

The issue of corruption is slightly different from what and how's being handled in the first world compared to that of the third world countries where the corrupt leadership does do it with absolute impunity and just believe that nothing would happen because the very institutions that would have prosecute them are in their wing.

And you think the people haven't risen or has no desire to rise against themselves corruptible political leaders? They do, but how is it that the police and military would be used to rain hard on those who would want to dare demonstrate against them. Here is a real example of a similar action of mobilization against corruption in my country, and just see what happened.

[Wapfika]

It will continue as long as ordinary people elect bad people to govern the country. If they do this in every election, then a large part of the responsibility lies with them. Change can only come if dishonest people are removed and those who will work for the benefit of the people are appointed.

This is the flaw of democracy, we got options to choose from A or B but what if both A and B are not fit to be elected? If we skip our vote, still someone from these two is going to get elected and that's the problem. Eradicating corruption is a long process especially when it lies into the roots of people's mindset and most of the time they don't even realize that they are committing a crime, it's just so normalised everywhere. Ultimate solution is to throw all the political parties and government officials and have a system to reelecta  leader at any point of time will create fear among the elected ones.

This is actually what happening in Philippines. 2 family is just fighting for the presidency while most of the running politicians on lower position is known corrupt especially on the Senators that needs to be elected 12 while only few are clean in genuine.

Corrupt politicians will surely enter on the position. Also one of the big issue here is the vote buying that is rampant. Due to the poverty of the country people can be easily purchased by politicians using the money that they corrupted from country budget.

Democracy is a curse on a poor country tbh.

[YOSHIE]

Help Philippines, don’t let this just pass by like another headline.

This is really the most silly and worst news and the worst thing I have ever read about the Philippines, maybe for me not too concerned if the Philippines blocks online gambling sites because they don't pay taxes, But the corruption of this flood money is really outrageous, I don't imagine how officials dare to live on the suffering of the people who are in the disaster, this is really a bad official.

So now I know the poor economy in the Philippines is caused by its own officials with corrupt actions, now we understand that lately the Philippine economy is one of the worst in the worldI think this hash It's time for a good community and throwing corrupt officials for economic growth in the Philippines, as has been done by other countries lately, examples of Nepal, Indonesia and others who overthrow corrupt officials.

[Ucy]

Better to fix moral issues in every nation than spending too much to fix the consequences of being immoral. It's like choosing preventative measure over fire service approach, or not eating whatever you want hoping that when you get sick you are taken to a hospital.

The issue with flooding and other natural disasters are due to not living according to the acceptable moral standards that are "coded" in nature around us. When immorality increases, an invisible bubble that covers a society or country becomes weakened, the atmosphere/weather in the bubble becomes unstable as a result.

Ofcourse, the misuse, stealing, or misappropriation of public funds is one of the moral issues that will be addressed if people decide to go back to doing what is right. People should be taught to do what is right, and they should do it. They should avoid whatever the CREATOR of the Universe considers evil and choose the good so that the shield may be strengthened and the flooding stopped.

[abhiseshakana]

All of this reminds me of the situation in the EU where some countries, despite having been members of the union for more than a decade, cannot move from the bottom because the old structures do not want to change, as they are a continuation of the old communist structures that remain deeply rooted in all systems of government. When one political party rules a country for ten years continuously and has about thirty ministers who are caught in dirty business, and receives praise from Brussels, then it is a clear sign that even here in the West things are not nearly as they are portrayed.

Corruption not only impacts one aspect of life but also creates a widespread domino effect on the existence of the nation and state. Corruption is destructive because important decisions are determined by the ulterior motives of decision-makers without regard for the consequences for the wider community.

The link between the communist party and high levels of government fraud is indeed due to the centralization of power, weak oversight, and closed system inherent in one-party regimes. The communist ideology, which rejects private ownership, can in practice give rise to a party elite with full access to state resources, making them vulnerable to abuse. However, communism is not the sole cause of corruption; many non-communist countries experience similar issues. Therefore, the key factor is not ideology alone, but rather a political system that lacks transparency and accountability.

Bad leaders are born from a combination of uncritical voters, unhealthy political parties, and an immature democratic system.

The root of the current problem: Money politics and patronage: Many voters ultimately vote for money or short-term favors, rather than long-term programs. Lack of political education: Not everyone understands the impact of policies. As a result, popularity often outweighs integrity. The role of political parties: Parties often nominate candidates based on elite interests, rather than the aspirations of the people. Thus, the people's choices are actually limited from the start. The media creates framing, and voters are often presented with images, not substance. This narrows the rational space for choosing.

They created an image that you study hard and get a good job and then retire which brought certain mindset to majority of the people how they are going to live their life and leave room for the bad people to be in the authoritative positions.

Study, work, retire—a socio-economically correct view, but not absolutely politically correct. This mindset must be eliminated because it reduces citizens to economic machines. States often emphasize only studying for work, working for taxes, and then retiring with social security. Yet, the role of citizens in politics is far more complex. Ignoring the role of older people, many countries demonstrate that retirees are highly politically active (e.g., lobbying, social movements, high election participation). Politics knows no retirement; in fact, many national and global leaders have been active into old age (Mahathir Mohamad, Joe Biden, Nelson Mandela).

The ideal in politics is lifelong learning, active participation, and contribution until the end.

Solutions : continuous political education not just during elections, but through the curriculum, media, and community organizations. Political party reform, to base party cadre recruitment on capacity, not money. Strengthening media literacy so that the public can distinguish image from substance. Strict law enforcement to reduce money politics and nepotism.

Indonesia and Nepal have done their part to fight corruption through brutal protests. But many of us are just lurkers and watching it out because they hold the military and the Philippine national police. The situation here is different, these crocs(corrupt) are not scared of the people because they have the swindled money from our taxes and they'll just bribe anyone who'll fight against them. Like now, the investigation is going through with the house of representatives and the senate. But these two are independent bodies and doing their own thing with their way. It's sad that there's a change quickly with the leadership in the senate when the proponents, Discayas have already exposed a lot of names. Many lives are struggling and even lost when floods have come, it's not like this before when budget for flood controls have spent properly.

Protests in Indonesia were indeed brutal and full of anarchy and ended in looting and burning of assets of officials and legislators. But in my opinion the demonstrations / protests failed because nothing changed significantly, in fact the demonstrations almost brought Indonesia to a state of national martial law, which for Indonesian citizens is more frightening because the Indonesian national army will take over (dominate), remembering the era of the Old Order regime (Soeharto) who ruled for 32 years. Soeharto became the first most corrupt figure in the world followed by President Ferdinand Marcos in second place.

[Die_empty]

This is really the most silly and worst news and the worst thing I have ever read about the Philippines, maybe for me not too concerned if the Philippines blocks online gambling sites because they don't pay taxes, But the corruption of this flood money is really outrageous, I don't imagine how officials dare to live on the suffering of the people who are in the disaster, this is really a bad official.

So now I know the poor economy in the Philippines is caused by its own officials with corrupt actions, now we understand that lately the Philippine economy is one of the worst in the worldI think this hash It's time for a good community and throwing corrupt officials for economic growth in the Philippines, as has been done by other countries lately, examples of Nepal, Indonesia and others who overthrow corrupt officials.

Elections are no longer the only ways to push out corrupt politicians from the corridors of power. This is because corruption has been institutionalized. protests that sometimes turn violent are becoming popular these days. We have seen youths in the streets of Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka protesting over bad governance.

In some cases, after these protests, the condition of the people hardly improves. This might be because corruption has eaten deep into the moral fibers of the nation. It will take a total reorientation of the people to achieve a low corruption society.     

[X-ray]

Only way to prevent this is the use of transparent ledger such as blockchain. But then question arise, if there's money embezzled, is the law still function and not just consider it as just a gust of wind and sweep it under the rug? This is the problem with 3rd world countries. Their law just didn't work as it's supposed to be.

[Russlenat]

There’s an ongoing rally in the country right now, with reports saying more than 30k people from different sectors have joined. Honestly, I expected it to turn out like Nepal or Indonesia, but so far it’s been peaceful.

What I don’t like though is how politicians are taking advantage. They’re joining the rally for their own personal interests.
It would’ve been better if no politicians showed up at all, no matter what color they represent.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/09/21/news/more-than-30000-seen-joining-anti-corruption-rallies-on-sept-21/2187693

[peter0425]

It will continue as long as ordinary people elect bad people to govern the country. If they do this in every election, then a large part of the responsibility lies with them. Change can only come if dishonest people are removed and those who will work for the benefit of the people are appointed.

This is the flaw of democracy, we got options to choose from A or B but what if both A and B are not fit to be elected? If we skip our vote, still someone from these two is going to get elected and that's the problem. Eradicating corruption is a long process especially when it lies into the roots of people's mindset and most of the time they don't even realize that they are committing a crime, it's just so normalised everywhere. Ultimate solution is to throw all the political parties and government officials and have a system to reelecta  leader at any point of time will create fear among the elected ones.

In these cases, one has to choose for the lesser evil between the two. Someone that can be worked with and could be changed. And if kids are not happy with the choices they have now, I am sure that a lot of them are gonna get tired and run for political positions soon. As they say, the new generation is our future and we should hope that they will be educated enough and would be patriotic enough to want to take care of the country and serve its people.

[KiaKia]

This got exposed because they are careless set of people, they must have been doing the same for a long period of time already and when your mouth gets full of water it starts spilling, this is the case here.

Trust me this is happening in many countries as well, we now know about Philippines own because they are not careful, in other countries they are professional public looters, you won't even suspect them.

Do you know what it takes to expose such in the U.S? Even if it happened it never happens, they will do everything to make sure it never come to light and also the exposer might never see the light again.