Clean your House first

Amid the magma of corruption that has been unearthed following the discovery of multi-billion-peso ghost and substandard flood control projects are the attempts of some characters in the House of Representatives (HoR) to shift the blame onto Malacañang.

The Palace tenants are, of course, not happy with the insinuations. President Bongbong Marcos might have received vital information relative to how the hundreds of billions allocated to flood control had been parceled out to favored contractors, Department of Public Works and Highways officials, and some members of the House of Romualdez. We can only surmise that he was shocked by what he saw to the point he could not hold back his tears.

If Marcos could not articulate his feelings of anger and frustration, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin did: “Clean your House First!”

It was obvious the thunderous message was meant for Speaker Martin Romualdez, Zaldy Co, and their ilk.

At the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, then chaired by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, the Discaya couple, other contractors, and DPWH officials involved in the massive corruption began to reveal the names of congressmen and those at the top of the power hierarchy.

Expectedly, the Senate coup happened. While the inquiry was taking place, some members suddenly became busy with their phones. Risa Hontiveros hurriedly left. Shortly after the committee hearing adjourned, Sen. Tito Sotto was sworn in as Senate President, and Ping Lacson was sworn in as chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee. The so-called Duterte bloc was no more, as the rats had jumped overboard.

The Villar siblings caved after their empire lost its Siquijor power provider and the dozens of water utilities they had acquired, targeted by no less than President Marcos. The rest had their own toxic agenda.

At the House of Romualdez, the leadership lost no time in seizing the moment. The Infrastructure Committee came alive and issued a summons to each character the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee had invited.

But the inquisitors did not come up with any additional output as they were all focused on dragging the administration of past president Rodrigo Duterte into the unprecedented scandal of graft and corruption in the flood control projects — which Marcos had heralded as the centerpiece of his administration.

The phalanx of HoR propagandists even attempted to revive the P51-billion allocation to the 1st District of Davao. But Rep. Pulong Duterte challenged them to go to Davao City to see for themselves the projects where the money was spent.

Representatives De Lima, Diokno, Chua and Luistro were salivating to grill the witnesses. They all wanted to show the public that the multi-billion-peso heist of taxpayer money squandered on ghost and substandard flood control projects started in the Duterte administration.

But the witnesses could not twist their testimonies under oath. The Discayas, for one, said they started their construction business back during the Arroyo administration.

Like the 14 other contractors, the Discayas experienced a bonanza from 2022 to 2025 during this Marcos administration. Their luxury cars are a prime exhibit; DPWH officials as high-stakes gamblers in casinos during this period is another.

In his privilege speech at the Senate, Sen. Ping Lacson revealed the lurid details of how DPWH officials and contractors connived to steal money from the government coffers, which he estimated at P1.09 trillion!!!

All these shenanigans while Metro Manila and many parts of Luzon are drowning in incessant floods and misery.