The UST Central Student Council (CSC) and several University-wide organizations have slammed the corruption in the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) flood-control projects, labelling it a “wholesale betrayal of the Filipino people.”
Why it matters: Reports said billions of pesos in government funds were allegedly diverted to contractors, lawmakers, and other officials—money meant to address perennial flooding. The scheme has resulted in non-existent or “ghost” projects or substandard projects.
What they’re saying: In a Facebook post, CSC said corruption robs communities of quality infrastructure and delays development.
- “As Thomasian youth, we cannot afford to be indifferent. We are the generation that will inherit the consequences of today’s failures in governance,” the CSC said in a statement on Sept. 18.
- The group added that silence normalizes corruption: “It is our duty to affirm that integrity in governance is non-negotiable and that corruption must never be tolerated.”
Sept. 21 march: CSC stressed that the fight requires collective action, throwing support behind a Sept. 21 Luneta protest against corruption.
Zoom in: More than 20 University-wide student organizations echoed the call: “As Thomasian student leaders, we cannot remain indifferent when lives and future are at stake.”
- They added: “In line with UST’s call for honesty, accountability, and true services, as Thomasians, we should not be mere passive bystanders but active agents of truth and justice.”
- Among the 26 signatories are AIESEC-UST, UST Hiraya, TomasinoWeb, MEDIARTRIX, UST Yellow Jackets, and UST Pax Romana Central Coordinating Council.
The bigger picture: UST’s Simbahayan Community Development Office urged Thomasians to join the “Trillion Peso March” at the EDSA People Power Monument, also on Sept. 21, the anniversary of the Martial Law declaration of 1972.
- Other academic units—the College of Science, Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy, and councils from Civil Law, Engineering, and Arts and Letters—have issued separate statements condemning corruption.
- Faculty and labor groups had also hit the 2025 national budget, calling it the “most corrupt” GAA.
Context: On Sept. 8, wealthy contractors Sarah and Pacifico Discayas named lawmakers and DPWH officials allegedly involved in siphoning funds, after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. bared the top 15 contractors behind the projects.
- At least three UST system alumni are embroiled in the controversy: Sen. Joel Villanueva, Rep. Zaldy Co, and former district engineer Henry Alcantara.
