PMCJ joins global call to change the system; highlights national fight against corruption, failed flood control projects

 

Quezon City, Philippines —  The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), together with Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD), Sanlakas, Oriang, and other progressive organizations, march through España towards Mendiola on September 19, 2025, in solidarity with global mass mobilizations to denounce multiple crises worldwide.

PMCJ believes September marks a critical point in the fight against a rotten system that aggravates the climate crisis, as world leaders convene at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly six weeks ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 30) in Brazil. It is also a critical time in the Philippines as anomalous flood-control projects linked to corruption are a hot topic.

“In just three years, the country has poured 545 billion pesos into nearly 10,000 flood-control projects. Yet communities on the frontline are betrayed and left to drown in persistent floods. Shockingly, corrupt government officials and insatiable corporations profit from the chaos in utter disregard of human life. This is not only a failure in governance but also climate injustice down the line. In the Philippines and the rest of the world, we are witnessing the same old playbook: billions of public funds stolen, systems designed to exploit, and a crisis pushed to the brink,” said Ellenor Bartolome, PMCJ senior executive officer for policy, campaigns, and communications.

Bartolome added that investigating these anomalous projects and those of corporate climate offenders should be expedited in time for COP30, whose central goal is to translate the agreements and outcomes of the Global Stocktake into tangible actions and solutions.  “That is why 2025 must not be just another year of broken promises. It must be a year to deliver and be the turning point for real accountability and justice on the ground,” she emphasized.  

“It is high time to demand real solutions to the rampant corruption, environmental destruction, and government neglect in the Philippines. The lives of the affected communities are constantly at high risk due to the intensifying impacts of climate change. In 2024, when the country was hit by 11 storms, including Cyclones Kristine and Leo, which caused the worst destruction, the total damage was over 43 billion pesos. But beyond infrastructure destruction, the biggest climate-related damage is loss of life,” said Ian Rivera, PMCJ national coordinator.

Rivera stressed that the catastrophe worsens because the national government, riddled by corruption, allows greedy multinational and fossil fuel corporations to continue their dirty, costly, and deadly business activities that jeopardize people’s health, livelihood, and homes.

Despite an allocated budget of 457 billion pesos for climate change initiatives, with 97% allocated to adaptation efforts like disaster readiness, the nation continues to be ravaged by floods and faces increasingly severe disasters. Without a bold investment in cleaner energy and a decisive shift from fossil fuels, the climate crisis will only intensify.

“Today, communities, organizations, and other sectors draw the line against corruption, tyranny, and inequality. This united action is a declaration of global solidarity against preventable death, injustice, corruption, and the climate crisis. Let us create a consistent habit of loud protests and unified opposition to the evil tandem of  corrupt government and rapacious corporations. Let us normalize defiance and vehemently fight for justice for the sake of the next generation’s livable future. The people demand system change through an equitable and just transition to phase out fossil fuels and end inequality, plunder, and tyranny across the world,” Rivera concluded. ###

#DrawTheLine #ChangeTheSystem #PhaseoutFossilFuels #FundTheFuture #ReclaimTheCommons #DefendHuman #ClimateJusticeNow