CARTOON BY: AARON PAUL C. CARIL
EDITORIAL
Moral collapse: When accountability drowns in denial
In the wake of the Philippine flood control scandal—now exposed as a trillion-peso plunder—the nation confronts not just a failure of infrastructure, but a failure of conscience.
The facts are damning. Over ₱1.47 trillion has been poured into flood control since 2011, ballooning to nearly ₱500 billion in 2025 alone (Rappler IQ, 2025; Ateneo School of Government, 2025). Yet communities remain submerged, dikes unfinished, and steel rods exposed to the sky. The scandal implicates dozens of officials, from senators to district engineers, yet the response has been a chorus of denial. Not one major figure has accepted responsibility—not even those whose positions demand it.
Senator Francis Escudero, named in sworn testimony by former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, rejected the allegations outright (Inquirer, Sept 2025). Makati Mayor and former Senator Nancy Binay, also implicated, said she was “shocked and saddened” to be dragged into the mess (ABS-CBN News, Sept 2025). Former Speaker Martin Romualdez, tagged by a security aide, dismissed the claims as politically motivated (Inquirer, Sept 25, 2025). Even as the National Bureau of Investigation recommended charges for indirect bribery and malversation (MSN News, Sept 26, 2025), the political reflex has been to deflect, not to own.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his July 2025 SONA, acknowledged the rot: “Alam naman ng buong madla na nagkaka-raket sa mga proyekto… mahiya naman kayo sa inyong kapwa Pilipino” (Official SONA Transcript, July 2025). Yet his administration’s creation of an ad hoc Independent Commission for Infrastructure—rather than a statutory body—raises questions about the depth of its resolve (Manila Bulletin, Sept 2025).
Senator Kiko Pangilinan, one of the few who joined the September 21 “Trillion Peso March,” urged vigilance: “The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who during times of crisis choose to remain neutral” (Rappler, Sept 22, 2025). But neutrality is precisely what many officials seem to embrace—cloaked in legalese, shielded by political alliances.
This is the moral collapse: a system where denial is strategy, and accountability is optional.
Politicians have the gall to claim they are implementing projects for the public good, yet they pocket a substantial amount of the project funds. This brazen double-dealing turns sacred public trust into a lucrative racket. While officials parade promises of development, millions siphoned from flood control budgets vanish into private pockets. The unfinished dikes and submerged barangays are stark testaments to this betrayal.
Political color now stains the pursuit of justice. Whistleblowers are threatened, evidence is allegedly destroyed, and the public is left to wonder whether justice is reserved only for the powerless. The Discaya couple, central to the scandal, remain free (Inquirer, Sept 2025). Meanwhile, Brice Hernandez, the engineer who named names, faces intimidation and obstruction (ABS-CBN News, Sept 2025).
Justice Secretary Boying Remulla’s swift move to bring Henry Alcantara to the DOJ for witness protection—immediately after his explosive testimony—raises questions about the independence of the process. While no evidence suggests coaching, the optics of a cabinet official personally escorting a key witness in a trillion-peso scandal demand scrutiny (Philippine Star, Sept 24, 2025). In a climate where political color often shields the powerful, even the appearance of influence must be interrogated.
The controversy deepened with the surprise testimony of Orly Regala Guteza, a retired Marine and former security aide to Rep. Zaldy Co. Guteza claimed he personally delivered suitcases of cash—coded as “basura”—to residences linked to Co and Romualdez, with each luggage allegedly containing up to ₱48 million (Inquirer, Sept 25, 2025). His affidavit, introduced by Senator Rodante Marcoleta, was immediately challenged: lawyer Petchie Rose Espera denied notarizing the document, calling the use of her name “falsified and unauthorized” (SunStar, Sept 26, 2025).
Yet Guteza appeared before the Senate and testified under oath, affirming the contents of his affidavit. Regardless of the controversy surrounding its notarization, his personal appearance and sworn testimony give his claims legal weight. That alone demands serious investigation—not dismissal.
Moreover, Guteza’s sudden emergence and the backlash that followed raise concerns about possible intimidation or coercion. In a scandal where whistleblowers are threatened and reputations are weaponized, the risk of silencing inconvenient voices is real. Whether his testimony was manipulated or suppressed, the public deserves transparency—not theatrics.
The Guteza episode reveals a deeper rot: both camps now appear to weaponize witnesses, affidavits, and procedural maneuvers to protect their own. The public is left to sift through conflicting narratives, falsified documents, and partisan spin—all while the floodwaters rise.
Meanwhile, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong resigned from his post as special adviser to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on September 26, 2025. In his resignation letter to President Marcos Jr., Magalong cited recent statements from Malacañang that undermined both his authority and the independence of the commission. He wrote that these pronouncements were inconsistent with the terms of his appointment and, combined with other circumstances casting doubt on the commission’s independence, made his continued service untenable (MSN News, Sept 26, 2025; Rappler, Sept 26, 2025).
Magalong’s resignation came amid scrutiny over a ₱110-million tennis court project in Baguio awarded to a company linked to the Discaya couple. Despite the controversy, Magalong emphasized in his letter that he has never neglected—and will never neglect—his primary responsibility to the people of Baguio, whose welfare remains at the core of his public service.
His departure highlights the growing challenges faced by those tasked with investigating this sprawling scandal, where political pressures and questions about institutional independence threaten to derail accountability efforts.
The tragedy is not just the stolen funds—it is the normalization of impunity. When senators act as contractors, when kickbacks are SOP, when ghost projects become budget line items, the very idea of public service is mocked.
We must demand more than resignations. We must demand prosecutions. Freeze the assets. Reveal the SALNs. Jail the guilty—regardless of rank or party.
Because when the floodwaters rise, it is not just homes that drown. It is our moral compass.