The build-up of outrage among Filipinos is being fueled by the callousness of those in government who play political games among themselves, who are guilty of irregularities one way or another.

It is a war of attrition by the corrupt — and the people suffer the consequences. Institutions that are relied on to protect the public interest have failed spectacularly.

Watchdogs that should be independent have gone blind or are compromised. The supposed guardians have become accomplices of evil. From the highest offices to the small committee in the bicameral conference committee, the machinery of governance gives way to self-interest.

The Senate, in its theatrical investigations, reveals more than it resolves, exposing rot but providing a shield for members accused of misconduct.

The excuse proffered is that it has its own disciplinary protocol, but it ends there as no one is sanctioned or even investigated.

However, a long-forgotten fervor to restore order is coming back as ordinary citizens refuse to remain passive.

They have stopped waiting for permission to demand accountability and have begun organizing and reminding those in power that sovereignty resides not in Malacañang or the halls of Congress but in the collective will of an enlightened and enraged citizenry.

Several institutions are providing theater, such as the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, Department of Justice, Office of the Ombudsman and Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon, all of which are exerting efforts to uncover anomalies related to the flood control scandal.

But the public sentiment is that the measures being undertaken are intended to prosecute the small fry and meant to whitewash the mess after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. exposed it.

The real work lies beyond investigations and in institutional reforms that are barely being addressed. Consider the bicam of Congress, where most of the shenanigans happened.

The body was created to reconcile minor differences between the House and Senate versions of the national budget but it became a conduit for the pork barrel where billions of pesos worth of pet projects were inserted without scrutiny.

Recent investigations showed that only then-Senate president Chiz Escudero and House appropriations panel chairperson Zaldy Co decided the fate of the 2025 budget, which was considered the most corrupt ever. The bicam must be stripped of its power to rewrite the people’s budget.

A cultural weakness ingrained in each Filipino, which lies in their religious upbringing, is their capacity to forgive easily. A political analyst said this is a virtue in daily life, but is fatal in politics.

Forgiveness has been weaponized. Light-heartedness has been exploited by the ruthless.

There are many in government who exhibit psychopathic tendencies, who show charm but are manipulative and devoid of remorse deep within.

The endgame is clear: corrupt officials must be placed behind bars while laws are strengthened and not circumvented. Budget processes must be transparent, not hijacked.

The outrage building across this nation is not the problem but the solution to the growing abuse by elected officials.

An active, enraged, and organized people may yet force the institutions to do what they were always meant to do — which is to serve the Republic, not plunder it.