Timpuyog Pilipinas Institute for Socio-Economic & Political Reforms (Timpuyog Think-Tank Group)

  Introduction   Timpuyog Pilipinas, as a socio-political movement advocating federalism , integrity, and genuine service to the Filipino people, expresses deep concern over the continuing revelations of corruption in flood control projects across the country. The recent disclosures, echoed in the privilege speech of former Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson , reveal a systemic abuse of government funds, involving not only contractors but also public officials and even legislators.   These anomalies, amounting to billions of pesos, are not mere accounting errors. They represent stolen opportunities—roads that could have been built, classrooms that could have been opened, hospitals that could have saved lives. Every peso lost to corruption is a peso stolen from the Filipino people.   The Problem: Political Grandstanding vs. Genuine Reform   While the Senate has initiated inquiries on the matter, Timpuyog Pilipinas maintains that such hearings often d...

Introduction Timpuyog Pilipinas, true to its advocacy of transparency, good governance, and integrity in public service, presents this position paper as a call to action for our Senators to enact meaningful reforms in public procurement. The issue at hand goes to the very core of nation-building: ensuring that government infrastructure projects are awarded only to contractors with genuine financial capacity and credibility. Recent hearings have revealed a critical gap in the current procurement system. It has become apparent that the Net Financial Contracting Capacity (NFCC) is being used as the main basis for granting contracts to contractors. While NFCC is meant to serve as a safeguard, in practice it has become a technical tool that allows entities with limited capitalization to qualify for multimillion-peso projects. This disconnect between declared financial strength and actual capital capacity has opened the door for weak contractors to secure projects they cannot responsibly...

* A Comprehensive Analysis by the Timpuyog Pilipinas  Institute for  Socio-Economic and Political Reforms  (Timpuyog Think-Tank Group)   When the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte surfaced, the language surrounding the issue immediately took on tones of constitutional rectitude and democratic accountability. Supporters of the move painted it as a necessary mechanism to uphold the rule of law, claiming that the Vice President’s alleged transgressions required institutional redress. However, politics is rarely only about principles. Hidden beneath the rhetoric lies a more complex story: one of political positioning, ambitions for 2028, institutional fragility, and a silent recalibration of power alliances. Ironically, despite the narrative of justice being served, the most visible outcome of this impeachment drama might not be the strengthening of democratic values but the unsettling of an already delicate political equilibrium. The ones w...