But compare that to the flood control scandal — dubbed “Floodgate” — where the government has identified irregularities in P545 billion worth of flood-control spending since 2022. Billion with a “B.” That is nearly nine hundred times the amount at issue in the impeachment trial.
And yet, where is the same urgency? Where is the same outrage? Where are the same marathon hearings, the same wall-to-wall media coverage, the same political capital expended?
The answer is uncomfortable. The impeachment trial is politically useful. It keeps the Dutertes on the defensive. It rallies the administration’s base. It makes for good television.
But the flood control scandal? That implicates the administration’s own. That touches former Speaker Martin Romualdez, the President’s cousin. That involves Senator Jinggoy Estrada, a known ally. That has former Senator Bong Revilla — a close friend and political ally of President Marcos — walking free on bail after the Sandiganbayan found the evidence against him weak.
Senator Panfilo Lacson asked a question that should haunt every official: “I don’t know how the government can even claim whatever accomplishments we have at the moment, or one year after President Marcos Jr.’s 2025 SoNA ‘Mahiya naman kayo’ remark.”
The fact is, until now, nothing worthwhile has been done to mitigate flooding. The administration has bragged about recovering over P800 million from the flood control scandal. A commendable start. But against P545 billion in irregularities, it is a drop in the bucket.
And while the President speaks of reforms and accountability, the floodwaters keep rising. The dead keep mounting. The displaced keep suffering.
What the Marcos administration should understand by now is that the flood control issue is not something you can simply sweep under the rug. Nature has and will continue to unleash its wrath and remind everyone of their failure and neglect.
It is time for a fundamental shift. Complete the investigations and file cases against everyone involved, regardless of political affiliation. No more selective prosecution. No more “sacrificial lambs.” Perhaps create a dedicated, independent flood management authority insulated from political interference, with a science-based, long-term national flood management plan that accounts for climate change.
Government must ensure that every peso allocated for flood control is accounted for, with real-time transparency and public access to project status.
The floodwaters do not care about political dynasties. They do not care about alliances and vendettas. They only care about the infrastructure that should have been there — but was not, because the money meant for pumps and dikes went into pockets instead.
It’s time to prioritize the completion of effective flood mitigation projects — not suspensions, not delays, not more investigations that lead nowhere.
