THOU SHALT NOT STEAL

By TONY LOPEZ

I asked retired Supreme Court Justice Andres Reyes Jr., “why did you accept such a thankless job as chair of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure?” His answer, biting his lips, “I pity our poor countrymen.”

One trillion pesos was stolen from the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the last ten years, the bulk of it stolen in the last three years; P50 billion stolen each day.

Impact on the poor

The P1 trillion was money that could have fed the 20% or almost 23 million out of 115 million Filipinos who went hungry for days for lack of money to buy food. Or provided roof for the five million who are homeless. Or created a decent job for half a million jobless. Or built double the 160,000 classrooms needed by the public school system. Or rescued from death 300,000 who could not be extended life-saving medical care.

Such is the impact on the poor of the largest act of corruption ever known in our 127 years as a republic — flood-gate, the largest syndicated stealing of taxpayer’s money. Money that should have gone to flood control to contain the ravages of Mother Nature. “Money that could have been spent on building schools, hospitals and road projects was instead burned wantonly on useless luxuries and vices,” jurist Reyes said in a press statement.

Damaged culture

More than the physical losses with the P1 trillion thievery is the damage to our culture as a nation.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, the erstwhile chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon anti-graft committee, relates that he and his staff reviewed the DPWH documents of corruption. “We all wondered aloud if the more appropriate question to ask is, ‘Who is not?’ rather than, ‘Who is guilty?’.” “So sad to realize how widely corrupt our government infrastructure program has gone,” he said.

We are a nation of thieves. Our government cannot function without its two million personnel subscribing to the habit of stealing. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. himself has wondered, “how did we end up this badly?”

ICI’s main job

That is now the ICI’s main job—get to the why and how of the massive thievery. The ICI’s three commissioners are all angry–Chair Andy Reyes, former DPWH Secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson, and anti-fraud specialist Rossana Fajardo, country manager, SGV and Co.

Engineer Babes Singson, 77, was perhaps the best and most decent DPWH secretary. His battlecry was transparency and hard and honest work.

Babes is aghast that at DPWH today, a district engineer can spend up to P2 billion cash, EVERY MONTH, without anybody looking, without the main office and the COA knowing about it.

A month after its Sept. 18, 2025 start of operations, ICI has produced tons of documents, testimonies, and evidence that could send to jail over 200 people, says Chair Andy, 75.

No budget

ICI has been operating without a budget, without adequate staff, and with borrowed equipment, furniture, office and public toilets.

The three commissioners report for work daily, eight hours on average, without compensation, despite a pay class of over P200,000 a month.

All his life, Justice Andy has lived by one motto, “Thou Shalt Not Steal”. It is an edict from his Catholic upbringing—La Salle Greenhills (high school); Dela Salle University and St Mary’s College of California (bachelor of science in economics); and Ateneo de Manila (law).

He also has an MA in Public Administration from the Philippine Women’s University where he learned that women are the master of the house.

As presiding justice of the Court of Appeals for seven years, “Thou Shalt Not Steal” was the overriding command among its 68 justices. “Without it,” recalls Justice Reyes, “we could not function.”

Injustice to the poor

Chair Andy talks about the injustice to the poor. “While you are in the office, away from home, your maids work to the bone. By payday, they send the money soonest back to the province, for their poor folks. Then you hear these bastards buying a Rolls Royce?!” “The thievery is worse than triple X porn,” the justice winces.

ICI has begun filing cases against those brigands of bribery. For each loss of P8.8 million of public funds, the case is malversation thru falsification of public documents. It’s non-bailable and the sentence is life, so the thieves will rot or die in jail.

Focus on ghost projects

Initially, ICI will focus on the 421 ghost projects in 8,000 sites —flood control projects that were never built but for which full payments were made to corrupt contractors, corrupt legislators, corrupt DPWH engineers and every government functionary who wanted a share of the pie. The ghost projects have been validated by teams from the PNP and AFP.

“All those persons responsible for this may be prosecuted and jailed, but to completely heal our nation, justice is not enough,” Andy said last week. “We need restitution.”

After an hour Monday, Oct. 20, with ICI Chair Andy and Commissioner Babes Singson, I came home convinced, “my God, these guys will deliver.”

More powers for ICI

Meanwhile, more than 30 business and professional organizations have urged President Marcos Jr. to strengthen the ICI and pursue other measures to bring the culprits to justice. Specifically, the groups want:

Full legal authority and independence for ICI to conduct a swift, comprehensive investigation, free from political influence.
Prosecution of all those responsible, impartially and without regard of rank, position, political affiliation or personal relations.
Institutional reforms, ensure restitution of ill-gotten wealth and embezzled funds of the government, and strengthen procurement and oversight systems, preventing future abuse.

Updates

Regular public updates on the progress of investigations and reforms and to publicly disclose all audit findings to demonstrate genuine commitment and credibility.

“Mr. President, we strongly urge you to act decisively to signal your administration’s genuine commitment to justice, integrity, and accountable governance,” the petitioners pleaded.

The signatories of the open letter: