MANILA – The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Tuesday called on public officials to uphold the integrity of the ongoing investigation into alleged anomalies in flood control projects and urged the public to join a National Day of Prayer and Public Repentance.

In a pastoral statement signed by CBCP president Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, the bishops said that any move to alter Senate leadership or redirect the probe into the flood control corruption scandal would only heighten suspicions of a cover-up.

“The Filipino people are watching closely. After the revelations of massive anomalies in flood control projects, any move to change Senate leadership or redirect investigations now would only heighten public suspicion of a cover-up,” the statement read.

The CBCP urged all branches of government to allow the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) to conduct its probe “fully and freely, without political interference,” emphasizing that the commission was created to restore public trust.

The bishops said the ICI’s mandate must include transparency in its proceedings and findings, public disclosure of budget insertions, and protection for whistleblowers and witnesses.

“We strongly oppose any attempt to pre-empt or derail the investigation through backroom deals, leadership takeovers, or selective justice. A nation cannot heal when its moral arteries are clogged by corruption and self-interest,” they said.

Calling the controversy a “defining moment for public accountability,” the CBCP urged Congress and Malacañang “to prove that they serve the common good, not partisan power.”

“No to a whitewash. Yes to full accountability,” the bishops said, adding that only through truth can the nation rebuild trust and ensure flood control projects no longer become “another flood of corruption.”

The statement also invited the public to a National Day of Prayer and Public Repentance, featuring an ecumenical prayer that confesses the nation’s sins of corruption, greed, and indifference.

In the prayer, the CBCP lamented how “scandalous budget insertions” and “political dynasties that act like new feudal lords” have kept the poor dependent on patronage politics, urging Filipinos to seek renewal through justice and mercy.

“Breathe into us courage to rise above greed and power, and awaken in us care, empathy, compassion, and unconditional love,” the prayer concluded.

“We entrust our beloved country into Your hands.”