AN OFFICIAL from the Davao City Chamber of Commerce & Industry Inc. (DCCCII) has raised a serious alarm over alleged large-scale national corruption, an issue that has drawn strong and concerned reactions from the Davao business community and has been investigated recently.
Dr. Roland T. Suico, DCCCII president, said in an ambush interview during the "Just Energy Transition Dialogue" on Friday, November 14, 2025 at the Acacia Hotel, the reports of corruption have fueled deep frustration over the misuse of public funds and what many now view as a grave betrayal of public trust involving both government officials and private-sector partners.
Suico stressed that the issue strikes at the core of taxpayers’ expectations, emphasizing that citizens continue to shoulder taxes in every transaction, from basic purchases to income contributions.
“We’re paying taxes as individuals. Even when you buy a small candy, it already carries value-added tax,” he said.
“These funds should be returned to us through social services, infrastructure, and other essential government programs,” he added.
Concerns intensified when allegations surfaced that billions of pesos were siphoned off from government coffers with the involvement of certain public officials and business figures.
“When we learned that billions of pesos went to the hands of politicians—and worse, that fellow businessmen were involved. Grabe talaga!” Suico lamented.
DCCCII reiterates PCCI’s stand
While the Davao City Chamber has not released a separate formal statement, Suico said it is fully supporting the position of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).
According to Suico, the national chamber’s stance is “very forceful,” having been formally issued during the Philippine Business Conference, where all local chambers, including Davao’s, backed the resolution calling on the President to take decisive action.
The PCCI, the country’s largest umbrella organization representing enterprises of all sizes, urged the government to end corruption in public projects, ensure the recovery of stolen funds, and impose penalties on all those involved.
The resolution, issued during the 51st Philippine Business Conference and Expo in Pasay City, called on the government to put an end to what it described as “unabated, continuing, and excessive corruption in government projects and transactions” through stricter monitoring, greater transparency, and stronger accountability measures.
It also stressed the importance of establishing more stringent auditing and reporting mechanisms, institutionalizing open governance systems to allow public access to project data, enforcing accountability among public officials and private entities involved in collusion, and forming multisectoral oversight bodies with private-sector participation to strengthen integrity in public projects.
The PCCI released this strong position as investigations continue into alleged anomalies in flood control projects involving lawmakers, local officials, and private contractors.
Investor interest in Davao surprisingly unshaken
Despite the national political turbulence, Suico noted an unexpected trend: foreign investor interest in Davao City remains strong and may even be increasing.
“Instead of being afraid to invest in Davao City, the opposite is happening. It actually stirred their curiosity,” he said.
Delegations from Brunei, Indonesia, and other countries have recently visited the city, expressing keen interest in exploring opportunities.
According to Suico, there has been “no significant impact” on foreign visits despite the corruption controversies dominating national headlines, indicating that investor confidence in Davao’s business environment remains intact.
Flood control probe
The corruption controversy Suico was reacting to centers on the widening investigation into alleged irregularities in flood control projects, which has expanded significantly in recent weeks.
Several congressional districts are now under close scrutiny following audit findings and whistleblower reports claiming that some flood control structures were overpriced, poorly constructed, or nonexistent despite millions in allocated funds.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has already submitted procurement documents, contractor lists, and project status reports to investigators, while the Office of the Ombudsman has begun issuing subpoenas to public officials and private contractors believed to be involved in collusion, kickbacks, or bid manipulation.
Investigators are examining patterns in project awards amid allegations that certain contractors repeatedly secured flood control projects through political connections linked to questionable fund allocations.
Some lawmakers implicated in earlier reports have publicly denied wrongdoing, while others have been asked to explain findings flagged by the Commission on Audit regarding irregular spending.
As authorities continue to expand the scope of the inquiry and trace the scale of possible fund diversion involving billions of pesos, business leaders like Suico stress that the outcome of the investigation will be crucial in restoring public trust and ensuring that government resources are properly spent on projects that genuinely serve the Filipino people.
“We really have to do something about it this time,” he said. RGL