Suspension of Blue Ribbon ‘Floodgate’ probe a truce?

With every rainfall putting the lives and livelihoods of many Filipinos at risk, the betrayal revealed in the flood control scandal is particularly painful. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s hearings have uncovered layers of corruption that many Filipinos suspected but are now seeing exposed.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo M. Lacson informed reporters over the weekend that subsequent hearings on the flood control mess have been temporarily suspended until further notice.

Lacson, who chairs the Blue Ribbon Committee, said the hearings have been temporarily halted to gather the necessary documents that are currently unavailable and to accommodate other legislative sessions.

As the hearings come to a halt — not due to a lack of public interest — one can’t help but wonder: is justice being delayed or quietly derailed? Investigations and the filing of appropriate cases by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and the Department of Public Works and Highways are still ongoing.

But one could surmise that this break may likewise help in easing the escalating tensions among legislators who have been engaged in constant bickering and unproductive exchanges on social media, which often serve to express their differing opinions and which can either help others to make informed decisions or reinforce their political biases.

In the previous hearings, former Bulacan First District engineer Henry Alcantara and former Public Works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo testified on the alleged involvement of several senators and congressmen who received payouts from funds designated for flood control projects. According to another witness, these payouts, packed in several pieces of luggage, were allegedly delivered to the former House speaker.

Although appropriate cases have been filed by the ICI and the DPWH, and bank accounts frozen by the Anti-Money Laundering Council, many Filipinos remain frustrated and angry as they await the formal prosecution and eventual punishment of those involved.

Filipinos’ increased awareness of the varying levels of corruption became evident when, on 21 September, the light to moderate rains were not enough to dampen the spirits of those who gathered at the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace and the People Power Monument on EDSA and at the Luneta Grandstand in Manila.

Though the protests were not meant to overthrow an administration, they allowed many Filipinos to voice their anger and frustration over the corruption in government flood control projects.

The extravagant lifestyles of public works engineers and the photos of piles of cash amounting to billions of pesos presented at the Senate hearings had become too much to ignore, especially for hardworking taxpayers.

As a Poll Starter, Filipinos have already long endured the consequences of mismanaged infrastructure and misappropriated funds. As a result, they are strongly demanding that all the lawmakers, government officials, and workers involved be held accountable.

Now, it’s up to our institutions to prove that they are listening and to ensure that those who turned public service into personal profit are held to account.