Most Filipinos expressed anger and fear due to the multibillion-peso corruption scandal involving the flood control project, Octa Research’s latest survey showed.
In Octa’s Tugon ng Masa survey held from Sept. 25 to 30 and published on Tuesday, 60 percent of 1,500 adult Filipinos polled expressed anger or outrage while 30 percent felt fear and anxiety due to the recent developments.
Nine percent of respondents expressed sadness or sorrow while one percent still saw hope and optimism amid what is happening.
‘A clear majority of Filipinos express outrage and frustration over corruption in government infrastructure projects, particularly those involving flood control,’ Octa said in a statement.
Furthermore, Filipinos also expressed confidence in the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) than both the House of Representatives and the Senate combined.
Octa said 46 percent believe that ICI is the most suitable body to lead the investigation into the flood control scandal.
On the other hand, the Senate ranks second with 23 percent of respondents believing the said institution is most suitable for a corruption probe while only 13 percent believes it to be the House of Representatives.
‘Overall, these findings reveal a clear preference for independent oversight and citizen participation in corruption investigations,’ Octa noted. ‘The strong support for an external, integrity-based commission underscores the public’s skepticism toward political institutions and highlights the need for new, transparent mechanisms of accountability that can restore public confidence in the government’s anti-corruption efforts.’
It can be recalled that former Department of Public Works and Highways officials alleged that some lawmakers were asking kickback as much as 30 percent in exchange for billions of pesos worth of insertions they made in the national budget under the unprogrammed funds which escaped scrutiny until recently.
Citing lack of public trust, the House of Representatives stopped its short-lived infra-committee investigation while the Senate also suspended its blue ribbon committee probe.
Meanwhile, 83 percent of adult Filipinos also expressed agreement with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s move to expose flood control contractors, but three percent of respondents still disagreed.
Marcos’ revelation of top flood control contractors triggered the probe which led to several revelations in the congress. /jpv