Purge must be complete

Purge must be complete | Daily Tribune

Where do we go from here? After the unseating of Chiz Escudero, new Senate President Tito Sotto signaled a more intense campaign against corruption in government, rebuking its enablers.

He indicated in his address at the start of his second term as Senate President that the legislative chamber will spread a wider net to end the abuse of public funds.

“Our people now perceive corruption to be in the whole of government,” Sotto declared, adding that he is counting on the political will of those in positions of power and the vigilance of the public to bring about transparency and proper accountability.

The change is long overdue as Escudero had accumulated some heavy baggage — from his role in remanding the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to the P30-million campaign donation he received, which is prohibited under the Omnibus Election Code.

Escudero’s alleged link to insertions amounted to P140 billion in the 2025 national budget, of which P11 billion went to Bulacan, his key ally Sen. Joel Villanueva’s turf, and P9 billion to Sorsogon, his home province.

The clincher was Escudero’s connection to Lawrence Lubiano, the owner of Centerways Construction which was number seven on the list of 15 contractors that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. flagged as having cornered P100 billion in flood control contracts in the last three years, or from the start of the President’s term.

The campaign donation to Escudero was exacerbated by Lubiano’s having two brothers in public office in Sorsogon, where most of Centerways’ flood control projects were located.

At the House hearing yesterday, Department of Public Works and Highways district engineers in Bulacan said some senators were allegedly involved in flood control projects, which were the conduits for kickbacks and commissions.

Dismissed Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara, however, in trying to extricate himself from trouble, by insisting Sen. Joel Villanueva never approached him over a flood control project.

Alcantara also denied any link to Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and former President Joseph Estrada, even as members of the House infrastructure committee cited instances when he had been part of a group associated with the Estradas on both the local and national levels.

The Senate Blue Ribbon committee, which is conducting the flood control probe in the upper chamber, will now have Sen. Ping Lacson, the Senate’s budget hound, as its head, assisted by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who promises to investigate not only the scandals in the current administration but to go back further.

In both chambers, the flood control scandal is taking interesting twists and turns that may shake up both the legislative and executive branches of government, and the Senate upheaval was the start.

While at the House it may be harder to expect an overhaul, particularly since it would need strong support from Malacanang, changes are certain.

If the real intention is to end the liberties taken with the people’s money, no one should be spared.

Let the purging begin, or circumstances will force the changes, which will not be smooth.

Change is imminent — the only difference is how it will happen.