Another People Power in the making?

By now, most Filipinos have seen, if not memorized, excerpts from Senator Ping Lacson’s much-circulated “corruptionary.” Unlike the entries in Merriam-Webster, Lacson’s version doesn’t define words, it defines a system. It is tailor-made for the digital age: short, graphic, and horrifyingly effective in exposing how billions in public funds have been misused, particularly in the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) flood control projects. These are not mere accounting errors, they are systematic acts of plunder.

- DIWA C. GUINIGUNDO

What once seemed unthinkable has now become painfully clear. Taxpayer money has been siphoned off into ghost projects, unfinished infrastructure, and substandard materials. The general public is only now awakening to the grotesque scale of these abuses. We now understand how luxury umbrellas could trigger the sale of Rolls-Royce vehicles, how a single Patek Philippe watch can command over P11 million, and how one extravagant dinner in Bonifacio Global City can cost three-quarters of a million pesos — for just four people. In a country where more than half of all families identify as poor, these revelations are not just obscene — they are potentially explosive.

Such revelations shorten not only the political lifespans of those involved but also their economic and social credibility. The Bible puts it succinctly: “By their fruits, ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:16).

As discussed in last week's column, these flood control anomalies raise foundational questions, and not merely about legality, but about basic decency. At this point, the issue is not whether guilt can be proven beyond reasonable doubt. The volume of red flags, confessions, and physical evidence is already overwhelming.

We've seen a high-ranking DPWH official casually admit in congressional hearings that he gambled two to three times a month while in office. One might ask: on what salary was he funding this vice? One contractor testified to donating P30 million to a senator’s campaign. That senator, in turn, acknowledged receiving campaign funds from a “friend” who held active government contracts despite clear prohibitions under election law. Meanwhile, the children of these contractors, undeterred by public scrutiny, flaunt their wealth on social media — luxury cars, designer goods, and million-peso watches treated like everyday accessories.

Has decorum been entirely abandoned?