Dennis Gasgonia

Article (news)

Francis Orcio

ABS-CBN News

Lawyers on Thursday filed a petition for the issuance of a Writ of Kalikasan before the Supreme Court against several government agencies and contractors allegedly behind ghost and substandard infrastructures.Atty. Antonio Enrile Inton Jr., one of the petitioners, said the move stemmed from the call of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines for lawyers not to be “fence-seaters” in the fight against corruption. “Ang aming isasampa ngayon sa Korte Suprema ay isang petisyon for a writ of kalikasan. Ang mga petitioner po ay iba-iba, of course, mga abogado at mga environmentalists,” Inton said in an interview on Thursday.He described the petition as a demand for accountability over projects that continue to receive billions in funding despite failing to deliver its purpose. “May mga substandard na mga proyekto, mga flood control project. Meron silang mga ghost project. Nakasingil na sila (gobyerno). [At] iyong pera, napaghati-hatian na,” Inton stressed. The group accused the government of gross negligence, malfeasance, and corruption in handling funds. “All of the signatories herein-below are taxpayers, who are seeking to enjoin the entire government bureaucracy of the Philippines to redress and directly resolve the most severe environmental damage brought by changing harsh weather patterns (climate change) and human activities or development,” said in the petition.“This threatens the life, health, or property of the inhabitants of several parts of the country, with violation by unlawful acts or omission of public officials or employees, or criminal liabilities of private individuals or entities accused of plundering the earmarked funds for flood control projects and infrastructures of the government.” Apart from accountability, the petitioners also sought for the rehabilitation of the environment and infrastructure systems. “The whole country must be rehabilitated, drainage systems de-clogged and retrofitted, rivers, creeks and canals must be cleaned up of trash and garbage, informal settlement in urban centers and the fringes of riverine systems must be demolished and transferred, dredging of heavily silted rivers including canals and creeks must be implemented in order to save the entire country from total destruction,” the petition read. They also requested the issuance of a Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO) while the case is pending. For Inton, the criminal aspect of the alleged corruption falls under the jurisdiction of prosecutorial bodies, but the Writ of Kalikasan is their way of ensuring direct environmental redress. He said that the petitioners still have faith in government institutions, but they want to contribute to exposing irregularities and protecting the public. “Meron kaming tiwala [sa gobyerno]. Pero gusto namin umambag dito kung ano man iyong kaya namin iambag. Para sa gano’n, tuloy-tuloy po. Sino ba naman kami, mga ordinaryong mamamayan,” he said. If granted, the Writ of Kalikasan would compel the government to account for the alleged ghost projects, enforce environmental protection laws, and take urgent steps to address the worsening floods that continue to devastate communities nationwide. <div>  </div>

Lawyers on Thursday filed a petition for the issuance of a Writ of Kalikasan before the Supreme Court against several government agencies and contractors allegedly behind ghost and substandard infrastructures.

Lawyers on Thursday filed a petition for the issuance of a Writ of Kalikasan before the Supreme Court against several government agencies and contractors allegedly behind ghost and substandard infrastructures.

Lawyers file petition for 'writ of kalikasan' over 'ghost' projects, misused billions

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Lawyers file petition for 'writ of kalikasan' over 'ghost' projects, misused billions

Francis Orcio,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 11, 2025 06:13 PM PHT

Read More:

Supreme Court

Writ of Kalikasan

Department of Justice

Flood Control

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