31/08/2025
EXERCISE HIGHEST FORM OF ETHICS IN ENGINEERING & SCIENCE PROFESSION, BE THE GUARDIANS OF SCIENCE AND TECH FOR THE PEOPLE, STRUGGLE FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE!
AGHAM Negros Island Region
August 31, 2025 //
Reference:
Engr. Eugene Catalan
Chairman
Regional Organizing Committee
1. AGHAM Negros is angered but not surprised by the recent deluge of corruption scandals in flood control projects and other government infra projects. It recognizes all along that the changes in the government leadership, and the gigantic rise in the government annual budget in the past 40-45 years have neither resulted in the improvement of governance and services, never lessened bureaucratic corruption, much less in the economic growth and national industrialization.
On the contrary, the rotten system has further deepened bureaucratic corruption, economic backwardness, deplorable quality of life of our people especially the basic sectors, and subservience to US imperialism and other global capitalist powers.
2. Among the reported corruption scandals in government flood controls and other infra projects include absence of coordination between Congressmen and DPWH and the local government units (LGUs) over the allocation, implementation and monitoring of infrastructure projects.
A number of projects were reported to have been completed when in reality they were not. Worse, not existent at all, or simply, ghost projects.
In many cases, projects have not followed engineering designs and construction standards, and the materials specification, as shown in a number of projects that have already collapsed barely months, a year or two, after reported completion.
Furthermore, there are reported cases of favored contractors monopolizing the majority of flood control and other big infra projects. Among those flagged down in government reports are the Negros-based Legacy Construction Corp., Silvergraces Construction, Jaime and Ching Enterprises, RKVT Construction, Wilkinson Construction, Kenneth Construction, Supreme ABF Construction, CZarles Construction, Silverria Construction, Homeworld Construction, AC Rivero Construction, Redson Construction, Canlaon Builders, RAG Corona Construction, RKVT Construction, MKU Construction.
AGHAM Negros know there are more, but these contractors reported to have taken several projects, are enough proof that there is something seriously wrong in the system.
DPWH district engineers and their project operators, extorting exorbitant “SOPs”, kickbacks and commissions on contractors to satisfy the whims and caprices of their master politicians and other government officials.
Unfair collusion over procurement system between Bids Awards Committee (BAC), contractors and their operators, that include the illegal practices of setting aside 3% of Estimated Project Cost (EPC) for “areglo” among bidders to give way to favored contractors; tolerating bidders to make excessive drop in their bid price offers resulting to big cuts in EPC; allowing defective bidder’s credentials and licenses including fake financial statements, among others.
These practices have institutionalized corrupt practices, rampant malversation of project funds, degrading of projects to substandard quality, emasculate our already highly neglected science and technology, and thus put lives and properties in high risk.
3. Corruption is synonymous with the rotten government system. It is the cause and the outcome in a system where the government has become a huge profit-making ventures and “milking cows” of politicians, their political dynasties, a number of party lists hijacked by big politicians and oligarchs, in cahoots with their big private corporate partners, contractors and suppliers.
For decades, corruption has become embedded, organized and increased several fold in the government bureaucracy. So long as this rotten system, or bureaucrat capitalism in the parlance of social activists, remain unbroken, corruption will continue to thrive and flourish, and deprive our people of their rights to justice, freedom and prosperity.
4. AGHAM Negros is saddened yet empathized with our fellow engineers, architects and scientists enmeshed in the corruption scandals. We know that many of them have been misled by their superiors, or forced by circumstances, to trade their skills and talents for extra income - resulting in their failure to safeguard engineering standards, methodologies and public resources, and most important their duty to professionalism, honesty, transparency and integrity in public service.
AGHAM Negros doesn’t blame them for their demeanor because it believes in their desire to work in an environment of economic freedom with adequate enhancing and enabling conditions, to exercise their profession to serve our people and country.
5. AGHAM Negros urges our fellow STEM professionals, practitioners, and advocates to uphold the highest form of ethics in our engineering profession, and stand consistent in making science & tech and its engineering applications truly serve our people and country towards genuine national freedom, democracy and national industrialization.
6. AGHAM likewise re affirm its support to popular calls for Good Governance platform and for establishment of independent people's audit body chosen by science and technology community, legal luminaries, civil society orgs, business sector, churches and basic sectors organizations whose performance and integrity are beyond question, to lead the investigation, trial and prosecution of politicians, govt officials and their private corporate partners, contractors and suppliers found to have committed fraudulent and other criminal and civil liabilities. # #
