The countdown to Christmas was symbolic for many Filipinos waiting for the sound of cell doors to clang shut behind the “big fish” implicated in one of the nation’s most outrageous corruption scandals.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in a bold declaration in November, vowed that prominent suspects in the so-called “Floodgate” scandal would be spending their holidays behind bars.

“No Merry Christmas” for the corrupt, he proclaimed, promising swift justice to restore the people’s faith in government amid the devastating floods that have plagued the archipelago.

But, as the clock struck midnight on 25 December, the promise became just one in the long list of unfulfilled vows lying in tatters in the Palace, with key figures still at large and the public left questioning the administration’s resolve.

Amid mounting public outrage, President Marcos addressed the nation on 13 November, asserting that the cases of many of those named would be concluded and that they would be in jail “before Christmas.”

Doubling down, he vowed the arrest of at least 37 individuals, including senators and representatives, and announced the freezing of assets linked to the accused.

“Christmas in jail” became a slogan during rallies and was carried in media headlines and social media memes.

The “Floodgate” scandal exposed how hundreds of billions of pesos allocated to flood mitigation projects — which were supposed to protect vulnerable communities from typhoons and monsoons — was pilfered through “ghost” contracts and kickbacks.

Estimates suggested that up to P100 billion annually in flood control fund diversions happened in the past three years, leaving villages submerged and lives at risk while officials lined their pockets.

Well, Christmas came and went. Thus far, only seven to eight suspects, mainly mid-level Department of Public Works and Highways bureaucrats, including regional director Gerald Pacanan and Bureau of Maintenance head Gene Ryan Altea, have had warrants served on them. Altea has left his residence and is nowhere to be found.

So what happened to the vow to deliver the big kahuna?

Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co — who allegedly executed the dirty “Floodgate” jobs — remains unreachable and untouchable.

The implicated lawmakers continue with their legislative routine, dismissing the allegations as part of an effort to destabilize the institution they belong to.

Late developments indicate the process, including the virtual discrediting of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), was meant to target expendable officials while shielding those with ties to the administration.

It has become theater to appease the public as the Marcos administration faces the delicate balancing act of pursuing a feigned anti-corruption campaign to bolster his image ahead of the midterm elections, while avoiding alienating allies in Congress who control the vital budgets and legislation.

Critics point to the intentional underfunding of the ICI and the interference of powerful lobbies as the reason the investigative body is unable to collar the lords of corruption.

Calls to jail the ringleaders of the “Floodgate” scandal intensified as successive typhoons submerged large swaths of the country.

In the absence of real flood control projects, communities remain defenseless, their taxes wasted.

As the new year dawns, one truth has emerged: for the corrupt mafia in government, it was a very Merry Christmas after all.