In an exposé early last year, Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong in a speech said Department of Public Works and Highways officials enriched themselves to the staggering amount of P9.8 billion. Executed with finesse, there was no reason the top guys weren’t aware of the Mafia-like operation going on in the department. Otherwise, they are either deaf, dumb, blind, and under anesthesia.

PBBM in his recent SoNA thundered, “Mahiya naman kayo” (Have some shame). Obviously, the DPWH is efficiently run, as are other Cabinet agencies like the Agriculture Department and others, to enrich the bosses.

They are callous persons. For instance, if an agri scientist submits a study with a corresponding sample, the boss will keep it in his drawer until a share of the profits is assured for the boss.

Any concerned citizen may inquire as to what happened to the research and samples submitted by a concerned patriot to the agency on increasing rice and corn production. We heard nothing but the disappointing news of a huge volume of importation. There is easy dirty money to be made from buying the stuff overseas rather than supporting our farmers and producing the grains here. Of course, it must be coupled with genuine support for the scientists in our midst. Not just for press releases.

Lately, in support of the PBBM administration on increased rice production without having to subsidize an artificial low kilo price of P20, a source indicated that the Office of the President forwarded to the proper DA agency a rice research paper by the agri scientist.

Although forwarding to the proper agency letters of complaint, etc. is SOP, I refuse to be an optimist unless proven otherwise.

Over at the DPWH, the taxpayers’ P9.8 billion was finely juiced from overpriced contracts from just three highway and road projects. What about from bridges and other infra projects? DPWH officials from the top to the undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, regional directors and district engineers share in the loot.

Mind you, and take serious note so that you, our readers, are not misled. Funds for netting, cat’s eyes and yellow barrier installations from the Cordilleras, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol down to the Visayas and Mindanao came from the illegal pork barrel inserted by dishonored “representathieves” into the DPWH budget — plus from the department budget itself.

From the projects, the thieves take from 35 percent to 65 percent. It’s sickening that we stupid and idiotic voters put them in office. But political and dynastic families control the economic and political power un-shared and long denied to a good sector of the broad mass of people who deserve to be our real leaders.

(To be continued)

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