Citizens' Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) was established in 1997 as an organization that would combat
corruption and
cronyism in government. CIBAC stated that its activities include assisting in the filing of legal cases against erring government officials with the
Ombudsman. It cooperated with the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) in 2000. It also took part in political protests, including the
Second EDSA Revolution. Registered as a
party list with the
Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in 2001, CIBAC first sought representation in the
House of Representatives in the
national election held in the same year. CIBAC won a seat but was initially disqualified by the COMELC due to its religious affiliation with the
Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide (JILCW). After the disqualification was successfully contested,
Joel Villanueva, son of JILCW preacher
Eddie Villanueva, assumed office as a House representative on February 6, 2002. In 2008, CIBAC representative
Joel Villanueva allegedly misused 10 million
pesos in public funds from the
Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). Ombudsman investigations found that Villanueva's
disbursements were coursed through a questionable
NGO for an agricultural and livelihood project that turned out to be a
ghost project. Administrative sanctions for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of public service were imposed on him in 2016, where
criminal charges were also filed against him in the
Sandiganbayan due to two counts of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and one count of
malversation through falsification of public documents. ==Electoral performance==