Poison in a golden cup

The country is plagued by corruption, which, combined with worsening weather conditions, has brought it to its knees. The response is a one-year state of calamity that opportunists in government, Congress and the Palace will exploit to satisfy their hunger for pork.

Among those whose frustration has brimmed over following the Palace’s response to the increasing devastation caused by nature is gung-ho architect Felino “Jun” Palafox Jr.

The urban planner had given the government leadership suggestions for starting an earnest effort to alleviate, if not solve, the perennial flooding problem, but received a sparse response.

The proposals would involve actions that require strong will, such as addressing the problem of informal settlers, which most politicians choose to set aside for expedience.

Instead, solutions with maximum optics are resorted to, backed by policies that involve throwing public money to provide temporary relief — such as the declaration of a state of calamity.

“During a state of calamity, there’s no more bidding for consultants, contractors and suppliers,” Palafox pointed out.

“We should be worried about these one-year-long states of calamity — they become a bonanza for corruption,” he noted.

When there’s no bidding, funds are easily misused, prompting Palafox to suggest using blockchain and AI to monitor fund allocations and project implementation, thereby making corruption traceable.

Investigators have cited the lack of a paper trail to identify the culprits behind the flood-control mess that costs hundreds of billions of pesos annually.

Filipinos are exasperated after experts estimated that the master plans to prevent killer floods across the country would have cost P700 billion against the more than P1 trillion lost to corrupt projects since 2022.

On 5 November, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Proclamation 1077 declaring a one-year state of national calamity effective 7 November.

In that one year, the national government can tap the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund or calamity fund. Local governments can unlock the Quick Response Fund (QRF) without the usual lengthy procurement process. Emergency procurement allows negotiated contracts, bypassing competitive bidding.

During that period, price freezes on essentials and no-interest calamity loans can be manipulated for profiteering and political patronage. National and local officials have wide latitude to reallocate budgets for relief, rehabilitation and infrastructure.

The declaration also heightens public apprehension following the massive flood control scandal, in which public funds were siphoned off through ghost projects, padded contracts and kickbacks.

Rehabilitation funds — which budget watchdogs estimate will have a surplus of P2.2 billion in 2025 — form the calamity funds, and the 2026 allocations will pass through the government network that was responsible for the massive budget burglary in the first place.

Palafox reminisced about helping plan the conversion of an Arabian desert town into what is now progressive and world-leading Dubai.

“Everything we recommended there was implemented 120 percent. You know why? Before implementation, the ruler of Dubai said, ‘Zero defect.’ They reviewed everything thoroughly.”

In contrast, here in the Philippines, not only are the infrastructure defective, many are non-existent.

Given the endemic corruption in government, the P1 trillion in losses from DPWH projects suggests the annual theft since 2022 was much larger, since the agency is but one of many havens of graft.

Bellowing “Mahiya naman kayo” while fostering an environment that enables thieves is paying mere lip service meant to defuse impending public outrage.