Opinion: Beyond Words, the AFP and PNP Can Turn the Anti-Corruption Drive into Action
Every Filipino is sick of speeches. Every town has seen the same ribbon-cuttings, the same promises, the same infrastructure projects that collapse in the first heavy rain. But if the anti-corruption drive in the Philippines is to mean anything, it must move beyond words of support and into the realm of verifiable action.
Here lies the greatest untapped weapon: the disciplined, trained, and nationwide presence of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Department of National Defense (DND).
A Force That Covers Every Town and City
Every city and municipality has a police unit. Every province is covered by AFP detachments. Soldiers and police officers are already trained to read grid coordinates—skills that make them uniquely capable of verifying the existence, location, and status of flood control projects and other government infrastructure projects.
Imagine if the verification of questionable projects—like those listed on sumbongsapangulo.ph—were not left to occasional whistleblowers or overburdened commissions, but institutionalized as a standing order. A centralized online reporting system could be rolled out: each police and military unit tasked with filling out standard verification reports, submitted to a secure server accessible by the newly formed Commission on Infrastructure.
This would make citizen reports actionable, data-driven, and backed by official verification at the ground level.
Handang Sumuporta
Colonel Francel Padilla, AFP spokesperson, has already declared that the Armed Forces stands ready to support inspections of flood control projects if formally requested. Senator Robin Padilla has suggested mobilizing AFP engineering units to repair failed projects.
The precedent exists: under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the National Development Support Command (NADESCOM) directed military engineers to assist in civil infrastructure in conflict-affected areas. Today, the AFP Combat Engineer Regiment—formed after the Battle of Marawi—shows how military engineering continues to evolve to meet national needs. If they could rebuild war-torn cities, they can certainly inspect and verify flood control structures.
From Audit to Action
This is where the fight against corruption gains teeth. Numbers on paper—ledgers, contracts, cost breakdowns—are essential, but they mean little unless tied to ground truth. The AFP and PNP, working hand in hand with the Commission, can close the loop between financial audits and field verification. Every ghost project can be exposed, every anomaly documented, every peso accounted for.
It will also put Congress and local officials on notice: no project is too remote, no contract too obscure, no town too far-flung to escape verification.
Unity Under the Constitution
The joint statement of Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. makes clear: the AFP stands firmly with the Constitution, rejecting unconstitutional shortcuts and pledging loyalty to lawful democratic processes. But loyalty to the Republic also means shielding it from the rot of corruption that erodes public trust and national strength.
The AFP, PNP, and DND can help transform the anti-corruption drive from rhetoric into reality—not by taking sides in politics, but by enforcing truth in infrastructure. This is not about patronage, but about patriotism.
The Bottom Line
Floodwaters can no longer be allowed to sweep away lives while politicians drown in money. The people deserve more than speeches—they deserve proof. By turning its nationwide presence into a verification force against corruption, the AFP and PNP can make history: not as spectators, but as enforcers of integrity.
Because in the end, the true measure of strength is not just in defending borders—it is in defending the Filipino people from betrayal within.
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