Sentinel: Missing in action

The series of storms that brought heavy rains and flash floods, particularly to Northern Luzon and Metro Manila, and caused major disruptions in the lives of untold numbers of Filipinos was the centerpiece of President Marcos Jr.’s recent SoNA where he called out, in no uncertain terms, those responsible for the disaster that unfolded.

His message was pointed: it was no longer enough for officials to play pretend or make excuses. He was speaking to those complicit in the chain of corruption — in the kickbacks, rigged project bids, SOP, “for the boys,” and the connivance that robbed citizens not only of their money but their safety and well-being.

Days later, the President launched the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website in response to the widespread public concern. He revealed the enormous concentration of contracts in just 15 contractors who cornered over hundreds of billions of pesos worth of flood control projects since 2022.

The revelation sent shockwaves in the political and public spheres which led to finger-pointing by government officials. In Bulacan, one of the hardest hit provinces, Governor Daniel Fernando expressed frustration and disbelief that despite the billions spent, many areas were still underwater even after the completion of major infrastructure projects to mitigate flooding.

And then came Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong calling for an independent investigation into the corruption and mismanagement in flood control projects, even announcing his willingness to head an independent, third-party probe into the anomalies, overpricing, and “syndicates” behind the flood control projects.

Magalong described the issue as a “highly syndicated flood control mess,” with the collusion of contractors, government agencies, and even legislators.

This led me to wonder when the constitutional body tasked with preventing all this from happening will come into the picture. Where is the Ombudsman in all this? Is it not supposed to be the sentinel watching over government officials and private persons to make sure corruption and mismanagement of such scale do not happen? While others who do not have the mandate are offering their services, the office that is supposed to hold the magnifying glass and which is relied upon by the President waits for complaints to land on its desk.

This is what is fundamentally wrong with our so-called watchdog of today: its algorithm is designed for cure, not prevention. It is reactive, not proactive; defensive, not offensive. It is precisely the incompetent firefighter who arrives at the scene after the house has burned down.

The main problem is how the Office of the Ombudsman is constructed. Just search its website and you will find that it is manned exclusively by lawyers and former court officials. These are professionals, most of whom must be prompted to act on complaints.

The Ombudsman has a budget of billions — for what? To sit and wait? It should be hiring engineers, auditors, accountants, and IT experts — people who track the numbers, inspect the sites, follow the civil works from blueprint to finished product. Computer engineers and forensic auditors could deploy data analytics and site mapping to spot ghost projects early, raise alarm bells when documents don’t add up, track suppliers and contractors, and shut down money flows before a single peso is lost.

Instead, the Ombudsman remains packed with lawyers trained to litigate, not to investigate proactively. This has created a toxic cycle: DPWH doles out contracts; favored contractors with questionable backgrounds monopolize them; local officials turn a blind eye or play along; and the Ombudsman’s silence lets everyone off the hook.

The Ombudsman must step up, build a team with engineers and real auditors, partner with technical schools and national science bodies, and be a sentry, not just a judge. This is not a technical suggestion but the demand of the times. Unless the institution changes, the floodwaters will keep rising, and so will the public’s anger.

If we want real accountability for massive, leaking budgets, it’s past time to fix how the people’s sentinel thinks, hires and hunts down fraud. Otherwise, the only thing left standing after the next storm will be the ruins of trust in our leaders.