Corruption in
DPWH
A Social Involvement and Transformation
(SIT) Alternative Class for Special Issues
Learning Targets
1. Analyze how corruption affects flood control projects, disaster safety, and
climate action in the Philippines.
2. Demonstrate awareness of the importance of honesty, transparency, and
accountability in protecting climate funds by sharing reflections or engaging
in class discussions and activities.
3. Develop actionable proposals (such as monitoring plans, awareness drives, or
advocacy campaigns) that raise public awareness, promote accountability,
and encourage community involvement in fighting corruption and advancing
climate justice.
4. Evaluate leaders or political platforms using the principles of honesty,
transparency, and accountability, and show your judgment through a written
analysis or debate on their stand against corruption and support for climate
justice.
Unseen Currents: Your Community, Our Funds, Their
Future
(Photos taken from:
https://edition.cnn.com/2024
/07/25/asia/philippines-
flooding-manila-climate-
typhoon-gaemi-intl-hnk)
Individual Reflection
1. Think of one emotion or feeling this experience (or
imagining it) evokes in you.
2. Think of one immediate impact such flooding had (or
would have) on daily life or the community.
3. Think of one question you have about why severe
flooding continues to be such a persistent and devastating
problem in the Philippines, despite the considerable funds
allocated to address it.
Group Discussion
Discuss: Do you share similar
concerns about the persistence of
flooding?
Plenary Discussion
Share just one key insight – perhaps
an emotion, an impact, or a
compelling question – that emerged
from your group discussion.
The Philippines: A Land of Beauty
... and Floods
● Often visited by around 20 strong typhoons and
storms every single year
● Storms bring heavy rains that cause massive floods,
forcing millions of people to leave their homes and
destroying farms, roads, and buildings
Money for Safety:
Our Hope for Protection
● In just the last three years, about 545 billion pesos were
spent on flood control projects.
● For the year 2025 alone, the Department of Public
Works and Highways (DPWH) was given about 248
billion pesos specifically for flood-related projects.
The Unthinkable Truth:
Money Missing, Lives at Risk (1 of 2)
● It's estimated that as much as PHP 1.089 pesos of the money meant for
climate projects, including flood control, could have been lost to corruption
since 2023.
● Corruption (definition): when people in power, like some government
officials and construction company owners, secretly take money for
themselves that should be used for good projects. They might:
○ Take "kickbacks": These are secret payments they demand from companies just to give
them a construction job.
○ Build bad projects: They might use cheap materials or build things poorly, even though
they were paid for good quality.
○ Invent "ghost projects": Sometimes, they might even pretend to build a project that
doesn't exist at all, and just keep the money.
The Unthinkable Truth:
Money Missing, Lives at Risk (2 of 2)
● Many different people have been named in these investigations:
○ Some former and current officials from the Department of Public Works and
Highways (DPWH).
○ Even powerful people like government leaders have been accused of receiving
huge kickbacks from flood control projects. Both have strongly denied these
accusations.
○ Some construction companies, like one owned by the Discaya family, have been
linked to hundreds of projects that were either poorly made, too expensive, or
didn't even exist. They were said to have paid huge secret amounts to politicians.
Additional Facts - What story do you see
behind these numbers?
Source: Butch Abad, Former Secretary of Budget and Management
● National Expenditure
Program (NEP) is the
proposed national budget
submitted by the President to
Congress
● General Appropriations Act
(GAA) is the law that contains
the final approved budget,
enacted by Congress based on
the NEP
● NEP is the proposal and the
GAA is the approved law that
authorizes government
spending for a specific fiscal yea
The Heartbreaking Cost:
Our Safety and Future Are at Risk
More Climate
More
Sufferin Criminal
Debt
g s
This isn't just about money. It's about our safety,
our homes, our future, and the very lives of our
fellow Filipinos being put at risk because of greed.
A Powerful Call for Justice
Outrage and
Cries for
Disappointme
Change
nt
“Make
Corruption
Shameful Taking Action
Again”
Skill Building
Individual Question Storm
Write down at least three (3) burning questions
you have about the flood control corruption in
the Philippines. These questions can be about
anything you've learned, anything you're confused
about, or anything that makes you feel frustrated,
sad, or hopeful.
Group Dialogue
As a group, discuss these questions and then choose
the top two (2) most impactful, urgent, or
thought-provoking questions that your group feels
deserve to be shared with the entire class. These
should be questions that really make you think and
want to find answers.
(No need to know the answer to these questions.)
Class Question Board & Reflection
Each group will share one of their chosen
questions, then discuss with the rest of the
class.
Check for understanding.
Watch. Listen. Read.
Group Interpretation
1. Collectively identify one to two powerful lines or phrases
from the song that strongly resonate with the issues of
corruption, accountability, the impact on citizens, or the
call for change in flood control projects.
2. Discuss why those particular lines stand out to you after
what we've learned.
Crafting the Blueprint:
Diagramming Corruption and Accountability
With your chosen lines in mind, your group will now work
together to draw a diagram (e.g., a systems map, a cause-
and-effect diagram, or a conceptual model) that visually
represents the core issues of flood control corruption,
its impacts, and the path towards accountability and
good governance.
Crafting the Blueprint:
Diagramming Corruption and Accountability
With your chosen lines in mind, your group will now work
together to draw a diagram (e.g., a systems map, a cause-
and-effect diagram, or a conceptual model) that visually
represents the core issues of flood control corruption,
its impacts, and the path towards accountability and
good governance.
The Pillars of Good Governance
and Action: Integrate solutions and demands
for change
1. What does "good governance" look like in combating this
corruption? (e.g., transparency, accountability, people's
participation, ethical leadership).
2. What qualities should we be looking for in leaders to ensure honesty
and accountability with public funds?
3. How can citizens effectively use their right to vote and actively
participate to ensure corruption doesn't happen again and push for
"systemic reform"?
An Invitation:
On Saturday, September 27, at 12 noon, let’s all go online,
to our various social media platforms. Together, let’s share
the question(s) we made in class today. Use the
hashtags:
#DPWH #FloodControlProjects #PHINMAEducation
#SocialInvolvementAndTransformation
Sign the online petition from PHINMA IISA!
Post your protest in campus!
There will be a protest wall in campus where
you can write and post your thoughts and call to
action about this issue. Check with your
CSDL/Student Life office for the exact location.
Let your sentiments be known!
