ATOM needles Bongbong re ‘Floodgate’

A day before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SoNA), a civic group challenged the administration to explain what it described as the lack of accountability over the multibillion-peso flood control scandal or “Floodgate.”

The August Twenty-One Movement (ATOM), together with several progressive groups, staged a protest along Ayala Avenue in Makati City on Sunday, calling for the prosecution of officials allegedly involved in the controversy and pressing for the continuation of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Among those who joined the rally were ATOM president Voltaire Bohol, historian Prof. Xiao Chua and Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Francis “Kiko” Aquino Dee.

Bohol said the administration has yet to fulfill its pledge to bring the so-called “big fish” behind the alleged anomaly to justice.

“Our call has remained the same. They should be ashamed because it has been one year since the President promised that the big fish would be imprisoned,” he said.

“Another SoNA is here, and now it is the people who are saying, ‘You should be ashamed.’ Where are the big fish? Where are your promises?” he added.

Bohol was referring to Marcos’ 2025 SoNA, in which the President declared “mahiya naman kayo” as he vowed to hold accountable those behind alleged irregularities in Department of Public Works and Highways flood control projects.

Since then, investigations have been launched by the Department of Justice, Philippine National Police, Office of the Ombudsman and the now-defunct Independent Commission on Infrastructure.

The Ombudsman has since filed graft charges against former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. Revilla also faces a malversation case, while Estrada has been charged with plunder.