06/11/2025
Bagyong Tino: Where Will the Millions Go?
When Typhoon Tino struck, it didnโt just bring strong winds and heavy rain โ it washed away homes, hopes, and the already fragile trust of many Filipinos in the system thatโs supposed to protect them.
Now, Malacaรฑang has announced that โฑ760 million in Presidential Financial Assistance will be distributed to 16 provinces and cities, each receiving โฑ5 million to help victims recover. On paper, this sounds like a lifeline. But on the ground, where people are still knee-deep in mud and hunger, the real question.
Will that money actually reach them?
Weโve seen this movie before. A calamity hits, millions of pesos are released, officials promise transparencyโand yet, when aid comes, itโs the same story.
A can of sardines, a pack of noodles, and maybe a few bottles of water. Then silence. The cameras leave, the hashtags vanish, and the people are left rebuilding their lives with little to no government follow-through.
This isnโt cynicism โ itโs lived experience. Every typhoon exposes not just the weakness of our infrastructure, but the toxic pattern of corruption and inefficiency that turns relief funds into personal funds.
How many times have we heard โfunds have been properly allocated,โ only to find out later that receipts donโt match the reality on the ground?
If โฑ760 million truly goes where itโs needed. Rebuilding homes, restoring livelihoods, and supporting families โ then thatโs money well spent. But if it ends up lining pockets, itโs not just a waste of resources, itโs a betrayal of every Filipino who donated, prayed, and hoped for real help.
We donโt need more speeches or press releases. What we need is accountability, from the national government down to the barangay level.
Every peso should be tracked, every recipient listed, every expenditure made public. After all, this isnโt their money. Itโs our money.
Hopefully before they hand out another photo-op relief pack, letโs ask the question that really matters.
โNASAAN ANG PONDO?โ
Transparency isnโt just good governance; itโs the least we deserve after every storm.
Article| Erika Tabiolo
Layout| Thristan Keith
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