Unmasking corruption and irregularities in public works: disasters, governance and growth

PHILIPPINES - Report 23 Oct 2025 by Diwa Guinigundo and Wilhelmina Manalac

The Philippines again tops the 2025 World Risk Index as the world’s most disaster-prone nation—an outcome shaped as much by geography as by weak governance. Typhoons, floods, and earthquakes expose not only natural hazards but also institutional failures: substandard infrastructure, unfinished projects, and corruption in public works.

Recent disasters in 2025 revealed the deadly cost of these failures. Successive typhoons and powerful quakes caused billions in damages, exposing “ghost projects” and defective flood control systems. Investigations found trillions of pesos lost to fraudulent contracts, dragging down growth and eroding public trust.

In response, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has begun restructuring, with digital transparency tools, project audits, engineer rotations, and the creation of a Public Works Integrity Office. Complementing this, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) was formed to conduct independent reviews and recommend prosecution of corrupt officials.

Resilience and growth depend on good governance. Combating corruption is not only a moral imperative but also an economic strategy—because the nation’s most vital infrastructure is integrity itself.

Now read on...

Register to sample a report

Register
Sign-in
Forgot your password?
Copyright 2025 GlobalSource Partners. All rights reserved. This report is prepared for GlobalSource Partners’ clients and may not be redistributed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, retransmitted or disclosed, in whole or in part, or in any form or manner, without the express written consent of GlobalSource Partners. This report is distributed simultaneously to our website and other portals used by GlobalSource Partners. The information herein was obtained from various sources and is believed to be reliable but GlobalSource Partners does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. Neither GlobalSource Partners nor any Country Analyst, officer or employee accepts any liability whatsoever for any direct, indirect or consequential damages or losses rising from any use of this report or its contents.