Corruption spares no one. Billions vanish, promises fail, and the powerful continue to walk free.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address in 2025, President Marcos proudly announced the completion of 5,500 flood control projects nationwide. Yet, barely two months later, reports of anomalies, ranging from substandard work to outright ghost projects, began to surface. The revelations shocked the public, especially as typhoons left the streets submerged and communities devastated despite the government’s claim that thousands of flood control systems were already in place.
The recent investigation of the flood control anomalies has enraged the public, with anger directed at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), lawmakers, and contractors implicated in the scandal. Whistleblowers have exposed links to budget insertions, kickback schemes, and sham licensing agreements, leaving citizens blatantly deceived by those entrusted to serve them. Billions of taxpayers’ money have been spent on these projects. However, streets and homes remain flooded with a lack of accountability from the people involved.
A Repeat of the Past
Corruption remains deeply embedded in our political system, with the flood control scandal being just the latest example. This is nothing new; the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam, or Pork Barrel Scam, showed the same pattern of misused funds funneled through fake Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The irony is brutal to miss with Senator Jinggoy Estrada, once charged with plunder and graft over PDAF, again linked to the flood control anomalies. His return to the Senate despite past charges reflects a painful truth — unless corruption is decisively checked, it will resurface, robbing Filipinos of their future.
But was there no reaction from the People?
There was, and in 2013, the ‘Million People March’ called for the abolition of the Pork Barrel Fund and accountability for those involved. A wave of outrage that shook the nation back then is also happening today with the ‘Trillion-Peso March’ and ‘Baha sa Luneta’ protests. The message is clear: We Filipinos are tired of corruption, and the government must be made to answer.
Accountability Must Go Beyond Contractors
Investigation should not only stop with small contractors; the alleged lawmakers and officials involved must also be held accountable. Budgets for these projects should be transparent, and the people should constantly be vigilant of what’s happening. Protests are only the beginning, and Filipinos must take it upon themselves to stay informed, rise above petty political noise, and confront the root of the nation’s problems.
What is lost here is not just money, but lives. These substandard and non-existent projects disturb the lives of many. It leaves people homeless, children are unable to go to school, and workers already making minimum wage are unable to earn.
The People Deserve Honesty, Not Excuses
To be fair, not every project was fraudulent. Some communities benefited from improved flood control, and certain lawmakers insist political rivals unfairly target them. Yet the weight of evidence tells a different story: While a few projects were delivered, the sheer scale of anomalies cannot be dismissed as mere exaggeration.
A handful of successes does not erase systemic corruption — it’s a betrayal to the people who place their trust in the government. If genuine projects can be completed, then why do billions still vanish into ghost works and kickbacks? The question is not whether the government can deliver projects, but whether it chooses to do so without corruption.
On this day, September 21, 2025, we remember the declaration of Martial Law that plunged the country into years of oppression and abuse. Five decades later, Filipinos once again march in the streets to denounce the same cycle of corruption, abuse of power, and betrayal of public trust that continues to plague the nation. If corruption remains unchecked, the people will endure only more years of suffering. Those at fault must be held accountable. The people have risen before, and in crucial moments, change happened.
Let history repeat itself—this time, in the triumph of the Filipino people, not in tyranny.
Written by: Kyd Humphrey Llander
Illustrated by: Stephany Cruz
