19/09/2025
๐๐ก๐ ๐
๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐
Every time the rain pours hard in the Philippines, families feel agitated. Mothers rush to lift appliances onto tables, children gather their school bags, and fathers guard the doors as water creeps into their homes. For many Filipinos, flooding is no longer a surprise. It has become an exhausting routine โ a cycle. What makes the tragedy heavier, however, is the truth that many of these floods could have been prevented if the billions meant for flood control projects had not been lost to corruption.
This August 2025, as typhoons and monsoon rains battered Luzon, thousands of families were once again displaced. Streets turned into rivers, classrooms into evacuation centers, and dreams into debris carried by the current. Yet while people waded through murky waters, an audit from the Commission on Audit (COA) revealed that about โฑ341 million worth of flood-control projects in Bulacan were either substandard, overpriced, or completely non-existent. Among these were a โฑ77 million project in Barangay Frances, Calumpit that remained unfinished, a โฑ74 million project in Sta. Lucia listed as completed but missing on site, and a โฑ96.4 million river protection structure with a โฑ38.4 million cost discrepancy between Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) records and COAโs valuation.
Imagine a father in Bulacan who, year after year, carries his children on his shoulders just to cross flooded streets. His taxes helped fund a riverbank project supposedly designed to protect his community. On paper, it is 100% complete. It is nothing but a ghost, a promise stolen by greedy hands. What the people deserve are real, substantial projects: strong dikes that withstand storms, pumping stations that work, and drainage systems that do not clog at the first sign of rain.
According to COA, the problem extends beyond Bulacan. Since 2022, over โฑ545 billion has been disbursed for flood-control projects, yet many carry suspiciously identical costs, lack proper documentation, or remain unfinished. Alarmingly, 15 contractors cornered about 20% of the budget, fueling suspicions of collusion and favoritism. This is why so many dikes collapse after a single storm, and why drainage systems fail to function. Corruption has not only stolen money โ it has stolen safety, dignity, and peace of mind from every Filipino family in flood-prone areas.
Anger is spreading across the nation. In recent hearings, lawmakers branded the scandal โa crime against the people.โ Business groups demanded an independent investigation, while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the creation of a commission to dig deeper into the corruption claims. Meanwhile, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon suspended all flood-control biddings, called for courtesy resignations within the department, and vowed to blacklist erring contractors.
This story is not about numbers alone. It is about the child who lost her school supplies to the flood, the grandmother who spent the night shivering on a rooftop, and the vendor whose small sari-sari store was washed away. These are the lives behind every peso stolen. These are the voices drowned out by corruption.
And so, the question remains: when the next storm comes, will we still be wading through the same floods, or will we finally see real change? Rain will always fall in this country. But the greater storm โ the storm of dishonesty and greed โ can only be stopped when people unite to demand integrity. It is not enough to wait for leaders to act; every Filipino must stay engaged, call out ghost projects, and make sure that those proven unworthy are kept far from positions they will only abuse. Because when communities stand together, corruption loses its power. When citizens are watchful, contractors cannot simply walk away with stolen funds.
When we act, the future shifts. The floods may be inevitable, but betrayal does not have to be. Our unity, vigilance, and courage can ensure that the next time the rains come, we will not just endure them โ we will rise above them, stronger, wiser, and unshaken.
โ๏ธ Zabriah Aina Elaco
๐จ Jell Rex Jay Jacinto
๐จ๐๏ธVince Carl Soriao
