It is easy to go along with the angry mob in Mindanao and Luzon, especially in provinces where flooding, landslides, mud and flotsam, and river overflows devastate the villages, ruin farms and crops and lives---whenever heavy rains pour.
The conventional narrative is that greedy contractors of public infrastructure, corrupt officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), in connivance with officials and members of Congress (both the House of Representatives and the Senate) are the evil men and women who are behind the tragic scandal called flood control corruption.
And since Martin Romualdez was the speaker of the House when it all occurred, he had to assume responsibility for this mess. The very reason why he stayed in the country, made himself available and cooperated with the Independent Commission on Infrastructure that is now investigating the scandal.
The whole brouhaha, meanwhile, prodded Congressman Romualdez to resign from the position of Speaker, with the House electing his replacement (Rep. Faustino Bojie Dy III of Isabela) in a more-or-less quiet and uneventful transition of power.
Through all these, both President Bongbong Marcos and Romualdez, still the congressman representing the first district of Leyte, may be said to have weathered the initial social shock of this corruption scandal that involved billions of pesos of public funds which were reportedly lost to corruption.
While Mindanao, Metro Manila, rest of Luzon and some parts of the Visayas are agitated and angry, it is well to note that in his home region of Region 8 or Eastern Visayas, it is my observation that there are people---former government officials, local officials, students, and ordinary workers---who look kindly at their congressman.
Many Warays may commiserate with Martin for his perceived failings and his political stumbling, but to them, it is important that life should go on, and Leyte should recover from this low point and national shame.
Lawyer Junee Go-Soco, a retired regional director of NEDA and until lately was a member of the Regional Development Council of Region 8 representing the private sector, sums up the region's positive attitude by pointing out that EV has important big-ticket projects that are still unfinished, and would need serious support from Congressman Martin so that the people of Eastern Visayas may finally be served.
He noted that these are the Tacloban Airport Development Project, the Tacloban Causeway project, and the Babatngon Transshipment Hub with a combined budget of around 12 billion pesos.
May I add to this the ongoing repairs and refurbishing of the iconic San Juanico Bridge which was closed to heavy cargo trucks by the DPWH because of its unstable condition.
These are projects needing Romualdez's push for their completion, and the people of Leyte would do well to give him all the support needs so that these would see the light of day.
I am personally amazed at the unflinching positivity of Atty. Go-Soco as expressed in his column, "I Am Back," and I quote:
"From our perspective as a region, I suppose the least we can do is to protect the projects that are already underway. Congressman Romualdez is our representative in Congress. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is still our President. All major projects currently being implemented are expected to be completed by 2028. We still have a bright future."
Two of my friends---both local beauty queens and college students--Xennt of Palo and LNU, and Julei of Babatngon---share Go-Soco's optimism.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonColumn #ViewfromCalumpang