UPLM STATEMENT: The rule of law and justice must prevail—not the rule of the thieves

21 September 2025

Amid the urgent demand for accountability, the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM) stands with the public in calling for full transparency and justice in the context of massive and widespread corruption engineered by the present and past administrations. 

These fictitious, overpriced, or non-existent projects are not isolated anomalies.  They are part of a wider architecture of corruption deeply rooted in a political system driven by bureaucrat capitalism, where public office is exploited for private gain, and impunity shields the powerful from consequence.

The corruption that robs our people of life-saving infrastructure in the name of “flood control” is no different from the abuse of confidential and intelligence funds—untraceable, unaccountable, and unjustifiable.  Both are crimes against the Filipino people, draining public resources meant for safety and survival.  These schemes are indicative of a system designed not to serve the people, but to enrich a ruling few at the cost of public welfare and safety. 

Crony capitalism impoverishes the Filipino people.  It systematically drowns millions of our people in abject poverty while lining the pockets of corrupt bureaucrats and greedy capitalists with billions of plundered profits. 

Corruption kills.  Stolen funds meant for flood protection have cost lives.  The people are left to wade through mud and loss while the thieves are shielded by political power and scripted outrage from officials too afraid to prosecute their own. 

Accountability should never be optional.  It should apply to the Discayas, the Romuladezes, the Cos, the Estradas, the Villanuevas, the Dutertes, the Marcoses, and all others proven to have fueled and benefited from this system of corruption. 

We reiterate: corruption thrives where impunity exists.  It is no accident that corruption permeates under administrations, then and now, that have treated transparency as a nuisance and weaponized the law to enable crimes and impunity. 

From the billions in confidential funds to ghost infrastructure projects, this is a systematic theft of the national treasury.  We urge all investigative bodies, including the Commission on Audit, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Department of Justice, to conduct thorough, transparent, and impartial investigations into these allegations.  Those found responsible must be held accountable to the full extent of the law, without delay and without exception.  The Filipino people deserve nothing less. 

We call on the Filipino public to demand accountability at every level.  

The rule of law and justice must prevail—not the rule of the thieves.

References: Atty. Antonio C. AzarconUPLM ChairContact: +639199124767

Atty. Arvin Dexter M. LopozUPLM Public Information Officer and SpokespersonContact: +639260583543