Nature, it is said, has a way of remembering and reminding people of their follies.
That folly: the billions in pesos in flood-control projects and other infrastructure projects that, instead of lining our shorelines (particularly in Laguna province, where a large portion of the province sits on the shores of Laguna de Bay), only served to line the pockets of corrupt officials.
This month, as weeklong rains due to the southwest monsoon once again battered Laguna province, we are once again reminded not only of the gargantuan corruption in the flood-control scandal but of a government intent on self-preservation, rather than the preservation of human lives.
Throwback
It’s been more than a year since the first allegations of the billions of pesos that were allocated in substandard and non-existent flood control projects came into light after heavy rains caused unprecedented flooding in parts of Laguna province.
The public watched in shock and anger as revelations were brought forth that projects that should’ve been a life-saver, projects that cost taxpayers over billions of pesos in hard-earned money, had been turned into a cash cow for corrupt officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and legislators.
Nowhere is this more obvious than in the province of Laguna, where a quick check by the OpinYon research team unveiled a staggering P7.560 billion allocated in flood-control projects in the cities of San Pedro, Biñan and Santa Rosa from 2023 to 2025.
In San Pedro City alone, P2.348 billion were allocated under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) from 2023 to 2025 for flood-control projects.
While officials in Laguna refuted allegations of “ghost” flood-control projects in the province, further digging by the OpinYon research team with help from concerned citizens later revealed that many of these projects turned out to be substandard or unfinished.
Political observers have called the flood-control scandal a throwback or déjà vu of the Napoles scandal of the 2010’s, which had also involved billions of pesos in legislators’ “pork barrel” funds that were channeled to fraudulent foundations.
What happened?
Fast forward a year, and it’s clear that this issue of flood control is in real danger of ending up like the Napoles scandal: a handful of “sacrificial lambs” that will serve as scapegoats, while the actual people who made off the billions will get off the hook.
Only a handful of officials of the DPWH have been officially charged in regards with the flood-control scam, chief among them former Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
Aside from Bonoan, a couple other officials of the DPWH, and private contractors involved in the fiasco, it’s telling that almost no legislator have been implicated in connection with the billions that were allocated to flood-control projects.
“Almost,” we must clarify, as former Ako Bicol Partylist representative Zaldy Co is now in hiding, while former House Speaker and Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez will soon be charged with profiting off the billions in flood-control projects.
It’s clear, however, that in this case, it’s Co and Romualdez – along with former Senator Bong Revilla and Senator Jinggoy Estrada – who have been chosen as the scapegoats.
Most of the representatives who have inserted the billions in flood-control projects remain free, and we can only assume that the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte has been the trade-off.
After all, the impeachment of a popular Vice President has served as the perfect distraction to cover up the fact that the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. has been inutile and ineffective not only in dealing with flood control but also in managing a tanking economy and increasing security threats.
Reminder
But as we’ve said earlier, Nature has a way of reminding people of the real issues at hand.
While Laguna province has been largely spared of the flooding that plagued Metro Manila, the recent monsoon rains have served as a stark and brutal reminder to us all.
That reminder: the real issue here is not the weather, but a government that has actively robbed its people blind – and is now geared in an all-out campaign for political survival at the expense of the survival and well-being of the Filipino people.
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