Major business organizations are urging the government to swiftly prosecute and imprison officials implicated in the flood control controversy, stressing that decisive action is vital to restoring public trust, boosting investor confidence, and helping reverse the country’s slowing economic growth.
Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines president and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said the public is waiting for concrete legal action on cases that will be filed related to the infrastructure issue.
“There should be someone to be sued and jailed and Filipinos need to see the issue resolved. The search is for a mastermind, not just anyone,” he said in Filipino during an interview on Net 25.
Ortiz-Luis added that resolving the current political climate could help the country regain its economic momentum.
“We can still catch up. Our GDP for the last twenty five years has stayed at around five percent regardless of challenges. That is not irreversible. What is important is convincing investors that we are addressing the problem,” he said.
The Philippine economy grew four percent year on year in the third quarter of 2025, slower than the 5.2 percent recorded in the same period in 2024.
Despite allegations of corruption linked to flood control projects, Ortiz-Luis reaffirmed the business sector’s support for the Marcos administration.
“You know the business sector. We want stability in the economy and among citizens so we support the administration,” he said. “We just ask that this problem be solved immediately. We cannot afford delays. People are impatient.”
Ortiz-Luis, who also heads the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc., welcomed the exemption of several agricultural exports from United States tariffs, calling it “good news” for local industries.
The US government announced on November 14 that newly exempted Philippine products include coconut goods, bananas, pineapples and pineapple products, dried tropical fruits, and coffee.