SPEAKER Faustino “Bojie” Dy III on Tuesday announced two initiatives to fight corruption, strengthen accountability, and restore public trust in government, saying the House of Representatives must lead by example in pursuing reforms that uphold integrity and responsibility in public service.
In his speech at the resumption of the House session, Dy described corruption as a deep wound that hinders development, undermines good governance, and betrays public trust.
“May isang hamon na patuloy na humahadlang sa pag-unlad, isang sugat na matagal nang nananatili sa lipunan—ang korapsyon. Ito ang kalawang ng gobyerno na unti-unting kumakain sa tiwala ng mamamayan. Ito ang tunay na salarin sa bawat proyektong hindi natatapos, sa bawat serbisyong napako, at sa mga pangakong ‘di natupad,” Dy said.
The Speaker said the House will take two concrete steps to confront corruption: the swift passage of the Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption (ICI) Bill and the filing of the Anti-Dynasty Bill.
Dy said that the ICI Bill will establish an independent body tasked with investigating and prosecuting individuals behind ghost and anomalous infrastructure projects, especially in flood control programs.
“Hindi sapat ang galit; kailangan natin ng solusyon. Ang ICI Bill ay makakatulong upang mapanagot ang mga indibidwal na sangkot sa katiwalian sa flood control projects,” the House leader said.
“Malinaw ang ating mensahe: there will be zero delays in the passage of this measure because our people have zero tolerance for corruption. Kaya malinaw din po ang direktiba natin dito: we will pass this bill before we adjourn this December.”
Dy also said that the House would take up the Anti-Dynasty Bill so it could fulfill a constitutional mandate by clearly defining “political dynasty” in order to promote fairness, competition and broader participation in governance.
“Panahon na upang harapin ang isa pang usapin na matagal nang nakasaad sa ating Konstitusyon: ang pagpapatupad ng batas laban sa political dynasty,” he said.
“Ang layunin nito ay hindi upang hadlangan ang sinuman, kundi upang palawakin ang pagkakataon para sa mas maraming Pilipino na makapaglingkod at makibahagi sa pamahalaan,” he added.
Dy said the twin reforms reflect the resolve of the House to earn back the people’s trust through action, not rhetoric.
“Mga kasama, patunayan po natin, hindi lamang sa salita kundi sa gawa, na bukas at handa tayong makinig sa ating mga kababayan, dahil dito nagmumula ang tunay na direksyon ng ating pamahalaan,” he said.
“Seryoso tayo sa pagpapatupad ng mga bagong reporma, dahil alam nating dito nakasalalay ang tiwala ng ating taumbayan. Ang seryosong pagbabago ang tanging daan tungo sa mas maayos, mas makatarungan, at mas maunlad na Pilipinas.”
