(Statement of the ECP Council of Bishops against Corruption on Flood Control Projects)
“Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death“. (Proverbs 10:2)
A pall of gloom hovers over our land. Poverty stalks our communities. Floods bring death and suffering to our people. Yet, in the midst of such miserable landscape, mind-boggling amounts in billions of pesos from hard-earned moneys of our people paid for taxes are ending up in the pockets of corrupt and shameless government officials and private contractors. We are shocked by pictures of piles of cash for distribution to those who brazenly and without any tinge of mercy and decency continue to suck the peoples’ money for their own and their families’ consumption and luxury. We see actual exchanges of messages in social media posts and we see photos of people all sharing and exposing moments of pay-offs or enjoyment of the spoils. The ugliest and most condemnable faces of corruption now stare at everyone.
We denounce this situation in the strongest terms. How did our country which we proudly banner as the only Christian nation in Asia ever allow our brothers and sisters, our systems and structures and our values to plunge into the lowest levels of moral decay and normalize a culture of impunity where greed runs roughshod over our Christian faith and values?
Now, the Biblical mandate in Ephesians 5:11 must be put into full force, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
We support the on-going investigations in both houses of Congress and now in the newly formed Independent Commission as well as those conducted by the Ombudsman, Commission on Audit, Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs. We support the immediate filing of criminal cases against those responsible and the return of the stolen money. Partisan agenda muddle these initiatives and so efforts must be done to prevent these from controlling the on-going investigations.
We support the organic actions of our people to express their outrage over the evil gloom we are seeing today. It is our silence that contributes to the normalization of these “unfruitful works of darkness” and so we must rise from inaction and engage and do every act necessary to demonstrate that in this nation, Christian values are and must be treasured, embraced and lived out while corruption and wickedness are and must be denounced, punished and consigned into oblivion. Let this nation fully regain the moral high ground to abhor corruption and let the fruits of corruption be seen as they are – profits from monstrosity that should be loathed and repulsed instead of being enjoyed, eaten and used to support families.
It is in this light that we express concern over the recent announcement of the Chief of the Philippine National Police that there will be no rallies if there are no permits. While we agree with the need to maintain peace and order amidst the highly tense environment, the “no permit, no rally” policy is stifling our peoples’ right to express their anger and denunciation of evil ways. It is also playing into the hands of the corrupt who are now riding the heat, doing everything to drown out peoples’ outrage so that in a few months the issue dies down and they can resume their evil ways. What we should appeal to every individual who is justified and encouraged to take action is that we must sustain the outrage and keep it burning permanently but also exercise all efforts to ensure that our actions are peaceful and should not result in harm and violence against any person or destruction of property. We believe that it is precisely the acts of limiting our peoples’ freedom of expression that will bring violence and destruction and so we call on our peace-keeping authorities to instead support the move towards moral recovery by protecting those who are expressing their constitutional rights and at the same time ensuring that no harm, violence and destruction are done.
To the Episcopal Church community, it is now the time to make our 2028 Vision of being Scripture-rooted and Spirit-fired alive and real in the world around us. Being Scripture-rooted and Spirit-fired is to be disdainful and to be repulsive of all acts that unjustly benefit a person or group of persons at the expense, deprivation and suffering of the multitude. Being Scripture-rooted and Spirit-Fired is to bring the light of our Lord Jesus Christ – the light of justice, peace, love and honest works into every corner we find ourselves in so that the Kingdom of God will come into full fruition. Amen.
13 September 2025.
The Most Rev. Nestor D. Poltic, Sr.
The Rt. Rev. Hilary Jr. A. Pasikan
The Rt. Rev. Frenzel Ray P. Piluden
The Rt. Rev. Ernie M. Moral
The Rt. Rev. Benny P. Lang-akan
The Rt. Rev. James N. Boliget
The Rt. Rev. Richard Stone B. Banagui
The Episcopal Church in the Philippines 