Hell hath no fury...

If body language could be interpreted, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (PBBM) is hopping mad. Who would not be?

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After all, it was the President himself who virtually opened the floodgates and exposed the widespread corruption at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that fleeced the Filipino taxpayers' money. From poorly constructed dikes, if not totally "ghost" or non-existent flood control projects, the web of corruption spun out many other shenanigans, draining our government coffers to the bare bottom.

This was how Senate minority leader Vicente "Tito" Sotto III interpreted the body language of PBBM as far as he could observe. Sotto disclosed he got the chance to talk last week with PBBM about the DPWH "ghost" flood control project scandal. It took place a few months after Sotto ran as part of the 12-man senatorial ticket of PBBM's Alyansa ng Bagong Pilipinas in the May 12 midterm elections - and won.

Speaking at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday, Sotto noted PBBM has visibly reaching the limits of his patience. "Galit na galit si Presidente," Sotto told us. He described the Chief Executive's demeanor during their brief meeting last Thursday night at the wake of Judy Araneta Roxas, the mother of former senator Mar Roxas.

Sotto took the opportunity to echo his own extreme disgust at how the 15 contractors cornered 20 percent of the P545 billion of the DPWH budget for flood control projects funded in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA). Sotto and PBBM - who was then senator - were together during the defunct 15th Congress when they went through the annual GAA of the past administrations.

While saying they had "private" conversations, Sotto was willing to share the information he told the President.