Bishop’s corruption warning echoes as flood control accountability lags

When Antonio Tobias, Bishop Emeritus, delivered an unplanned rebuke to lawmakers during a thanksgiving Mass at the House of Representatives on 3 December, he warned that pervasive corruption “betrays public trust” and urged leaders to put an end to corrupt practices.

The remarks, delivered in the presence of House Speaker Faustino Dy III and other lawmakers, drew stunned silence inside the hall. Nearly a month later, however, public outrage has only intensified as tangible accountability remains elusive.

The Mass, sponsored by the Office of the Speaker, took place amid mounting controversy over multibillion-peso flood control projects allegedly riddled with ghost, substandard, and non-existent infrastructure works. The issue was first publicly raised by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his July 2025 State of the Nation Address.

At the time, Marcos vowed that “big fish” would be arrested, referring to high-profile lawmakers and contractors allegedly involved in diverting public funds intended for flood mitigation. More than three months later, only a handful of lower-level contractors and officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have been detained, while senior figures linked to the projects remain untouched.

Despite repeated assurances from Malacañang that airtight cases were being built to withstand legal scrutiny, no major political personalities have been jailed, leaving many questions about systemic corruption unanswered.

Public discontent has since spilled onto the streets. Protests and mass demonstrations — including rallies such as “Baha sa Luneta 2.0” — have called for swift action and genuine accountability from government institutions.

Surveys indicate that a significant majority of Filipinos believe collusion between government officials and contractors played a role in the alleged anomalies.

While agencies such as the Department of Justice, the Independent Commission on Infrastructure, the Commission on Audit, and the Office of the Ombudsman have taken steps including filing cases, issuing arrest warrants, and freezing assets tied to questionable contracts, critics say the absence of convictions involving senior figures has further eroded public trust and fueled accusations of selective accountability.