ASIA/PHILIPPINES – Fighting corruption: Catholic volunteers involved in monitoring government projects

Manila – Catholic volunteers will be involved in monitoring and ensuring transparency in the execution of government infrastructure projects, as part of national measures to combat corruption. This was confirmed to Fides by Bishop José Colin Bagaforo of Kidapawan, president of Caritas Philippines and one of the leaders of the “Church Leaders Council for National Transformation”, which brought together more than 100,000 people from 200 organizations—including movements, associations, unions, and political groups—united against corruption on September 21 in Manila. Thanks to a “Memorandum of Cooperation” signed between Caritas Philippines and the Department of Public Works and Highways, volunteers designated by dioceses through their Social Action Centers, which are affiliated with Caritas, will help monitor public projects in local communities.
The agreement is a concrete response to the public outrage sparked by so-called “ghost projects”—funded but never implemented—aimed at preventing flood and climate disasters in various regions of the country.
The collaboration will allow parishes to help verify complaints about projects that fail to meet standards and to monitor the progress of the works. Caritas observers will visit the relevant sites and report their findings to a “Joint Monitoring Group,” thus contributing to transparency and highlighting potential irregularities. “We came up with this solution,” explains Bishop Bagaforo, “because the role of the Church is not only to denounce irregularities, but also to offer moral guidance to officials and those implementing the projects,” emphasizing the values of “honesty, responsibility, and service to the common good.” In this way, he adds, the sense of civic co-responsibility is strengthened, encouraging the faithful to contribute to the good governance of public works, and allowing, in the executive and judicial spheres, “the application of existing laws on accountability and corruption.”
The commitment of the Philippine Catholic community to the fight against corruption is also manifested in the invitation to the faithful to attend Sunday Mass dressed in white, as a symbol of purity, transparency, and personal commitment to honesty and the common good.

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