04/10/2025
𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
It is a sad reality in this country that the very institutions tasked to protect us are the same ones that betray our trust. This year, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) once again finds itself at the center of controversy, particularly with flood control projects. These projects, funded by taxpayers’ money, are supposed to shield communities from devastation during heavy rains. Yet instead of safety, what we see are unfinished projects, substandard structures, and funds funneled into the pockets of politicians, contractors, and their families.
The anger of citizens is justified. We pay taxes not to fund the luxury cars, overseas trips, and mansions of public officials, but to build schools, hospitals, and infrastructure worthy of our trust. Yet the reality is bleak. Countless DPWH projects are either delayed, left unfinished, or constructed with cheap materials that crumble even under minor earthquakes. What should have been havens of safety have become ticking time bombs.
The betrayal does not stop there. Recently, reports surfaced of DSWD family kits—relief packs that should have been given freely to disaster-stricken families—being sold in the market. Imagine the cruelty of profiting from the desperation of people who have lost their homes and livelihoods. Aid is not merchandise. It is a lifeline.
In Cebu, too, the recent earthquake revealed the same sickness. Assistance meant for victims became another business opportunity. Instead of compassion, we saw commodification. Instead of urgency, we saw greed. At a time when Filipinos needed solidarity, what they received was exploitation.
We, the people, have every right to be enraged. These resources are not theirs to squander. They come from us, the taxpayers, the citizens whose sweat and labor keep this country afloat. Every peso stolen is a night of hunger for a poor family, a classroom that remains unfinished, a hospital that lacks equipment, a flood control project that could have saved lives.
The time for silence is never over. Accountability must not be reduced to headlines or Senate hearings that go nowhere. We must demand transparency, proper audits, and real consequences for those who plunder public funds. Until those responsible are punished, and until our institutions prioritize people over profit, corruption will continue to drown us, while those in power swim in luxury.
Enough of the greed. Enough of the betrayal. The resources of this nation belong to its people. And no official, engineer, contractor, senator, or governor has the right to steal what was meant to protect and uplift the Filipino.
