The end of 'resilience' as dogma

The public's discoveries regarding flood control and other public works projects must have serious repercussions.

- TONYO CRUZ

Public officials caught doing bribery should not just be removed from office. They should be charged administratively and criminally.

Another consequence should be the end of “resilience” as dogma of state, business, media and church when explaining how we manage to survive multiple and worsening floods.

It turns out “resilience” looks more and more accurately a cover, a fig leaf, a diversion to hide the elaborate, multilevel, and gargantuan acts of corruption in flood control and other public works projects that supposedly help and save the public.

For instead of combing through the audit, accomplishment reports, infrastructure assessments and tests of how these multimillion and multibillion-peso projects fared, the state has for the longest time elevated the PR device of “resilience” as dogma.

People are justifiably angry because whether in Bulacan, Davao, Manila, or Ormoc, there’s no marked improvement in flood control infrastructure.

Despite the state throwing lots of public money at the problem, floods continue to deluge cities and towns.