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What do we do now?

The Philippine Star

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September 22, 2025

The Speaker of the House has resigned. It may seem that a large head has rolled. The government seems to be responding to the raging anger of citizens over the corruption that has cost our taxpayers at least a trillion pesos.

- BOO CHANCO

But the long hard journey to cleaning our political system has barely started. The resigned Speaker must still explain how his net worth seems to have grown exponentially over the past few years.

True or not, he must credibly explain stories about multiple homes in Forbes Park, a business jet and some helicopters.

After all, ordinary people buying condo units are routinely asked by the BIR where they got the money.

The Speaker was a businessman before he became a politician and is the son of Imelda Marcos' favorite brother. Can that explain his visible wealth?

The former Speaker must also account for his role in the scandalous way the National Expenditure Program for this year was mangled by Congress under his leadership. The Constitution gives the House primary responsibility on money matters. He surely knew what his appropriations committee chairman and vice chairman did that so angered our people.

Members of the House and the Senate might have thought they could get away with legalizing a shameless robbery through the NEP, year in and year out. But torrential rains poured down from the heavens as if God was declaring enough is enough.

And the rains caused massive flooding and exposed how our officials in Congress and the DPWH conniving with COA had been stealing funds through ghost flood control and other public works projects.

For years we took for granted that 30 percent of public works funds were stolen. But BBM was shocked to tears upon learning that 100 percent of public works budgets are being stolen today.

So, the first thing we should do is to keep the pressure of angry public opinion going. Walang bibitiw.

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