This Kaya?

What the President did may have been intended as a tactical gambit to deflect public attention away from him. Not so long ago, he was gloating about his more than 5,500 flood control projects, which he claimed could solve our worsening inundation problem. In fact, during his third State of the Nation Address, he even announced plans for at least 10 more large-scale projects within the next 13 years, drawing tremendous applause from the crowd.

Back then, his detractors were already making insinuations here and there about the alleged irregularities that attended these construction projects. But even before they could make a decisive move to discredit and humiliate him, he was able to maneuver his way to flipping the narrative.

He retracted his earlier pronouncement, expressed disappointment instead about the subject anomalies, and vowed to expose and prosecute corruption in flood control projects. In fact, he ordered the release of a complete list of flood control projects from the past three years, identifying the top 15 contractors who bagged those contracts, and promised to investigate and make heads roll.

Maybe, just maybe, he was hoping that would be the end of it and that at some point, the issue would die a natural death and people might forget and move on. Problem is, he unwittingly opened a Pandora’s box that could further complicate the problem. This time around, he may be forced to allow things to naturally unfold even if some of his known political allies may be implicated.

To be honest, I don’t know if the Senate would have the gall to police and punish its own. In the past, they would be selective about it, go after political opponents, and therefore defeat the purpose of pursuing genuine reform. As regards the House of Representatives, there isn’t much we can hope for, as they showcase their stupidity and blatantly display their political biases for the most part.

This is why it might really be best to form an independent commission that can look into the matter. But even that may be an exercise in futility — either because at some point they will just get directives from the powers that be, or if not, would not be supported by other stakeholders and interest groups.

At the end of the day, the onus is on the President to see to it that all these public investigations result in something positive and significant. By making sure that individuals, regardless of their political affiliation and conviction, are held accountable, this may just be his lasting legacy. Otherwise, he’s just like the rest of them.