By Atty. Howie Calleja
We Filipinos wear our Catholicism like a badge. We brag about being Asia’s only Catholic nation, as if that title alone makes us “good.” We name our streets, our schools, our children after saints—hoping their grace rubs off. St. Gerard? The patron of mothers, the one we pray to when a baby’s due, when hope feels thin. St. Timothy? The young disciple who stood firm in faith, even when the world was cruel. St. Matthew? The tax collector who left greed behind to follow Jesus. These aren’t just names—they’re promises. Promises of kindness, integrity, light.
So when we find out the owners of companies bearing these names are allegedly siphoning public funds, cutting corners on roads that crumble, hospitals that never open, what do we feel? Not just anger. Shame. A hot, burning shame that makes you want to look away. Because it’s not just corruption—it’s blasphemy against the stories we’ve been told, the values we’ve tried to live by.
Why? Why use these names like a get-out-of-jail-free card? Maybe they thought the saints’ aura would blind us. Maybe they believed that if their company had a “holy” name, no one would question the millions missing from budgets. Or maybe they just didn’t care. Maybe to them, St. Gerard is just a logo, St. Timothy a marketing trick, St. Matthew a way to sound “legit” while robbing the poor.
And that’s the worst part: the disrespect. Disrespect for the mothers who light candles to St. Gerard, begging for a safe delivery. Disrespect for the students who learn about St. Timothy’s courage in school. Disrespect for every Filipino who still believes in the idea that faith should make us better, not richer at others’ expense.
This isn’t just about money. It’s about trust. Trust that the people we give power to—even those who hide behind saints’ names—will do the right thing. When that trust breaks, what’s left? A nation where “holy” is just a word, and “corruption” is the only religion that seems to matter.
According to a report by the Right to Know Right Now (R2KRN) coalition, the top 18 contractors in the Philippines won almost 20 percent or ₱100 billion of the ₱546-billion aggregate value of 9,827 flood control projects from July 2022 to May 2025. These contracts were found to be ghost, substandard, and kickbacks-ridden. The report also revealed that local politicians and political clans have repeatedly awarded multiple contracts to the same and apparently favored companies, including some that their family members own or co-own. This trend is apparent in Davao City and the provinces of Bulacan, Mindoro, Cebu, Palawan, Isabela, Cavite, in Metro Manila as well as the Bicol and Ilocos Region regions to name a few.
In addition, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has filed PHP7.18-billion “criminal” tax charges against government contractors Sarah and Curlee Discaya as well as one of their aides. The couple, who are among the key personalities in the flood control corruption scandal, and the corporate officer of St. Gerard Construction Corporation, were facing a total of ₱7,182,172,532.25 in total tax liabilities. The BIR said it had discovered that for taxable years 2018 to 2021, the couple “failed to pay billions in income taxes.”
The Catholic Church in the Philippines has also spoken out against the corruption scandal, with progressive bishops calling on the faithful to be more involved in demanding justice and opposing evil. Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, called on the public to demonstrate peacefully and demand accountability.
So let us turn to the saints—not as symbols to be exploited, but as guides to be followed. St. Gerard, intercede for the mothers whose children suffer from unsafe infrastructure. St. Timothy, give us the courage to stand against greed, even when it hides behind power. St. Matthew, remind us that true wealth lies not in stolen pesos, but in integrity and service. May their names no longer be shields for corruption, but beacons of hope that light our path to a nation where faith and justice walk hand in hand.