The congressional hearings into corruption in flood control projects have exposed a system marked with fraud and deceit. Public works officials, contractors and even members of the Senate and House of Representatives have been implicated.
Every peso of the billions stolen represents a victim, as corruption deprives people of food, medicine, classrooms and dignity.
What piqued public anger were the obscene displays of wealth, the casino binges, luxury cars, expensive watches and lavish lifestyles of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, contractors and their families. But the hearings have revealed something far worse. They showed a web of corruption so entrenched that it thrives on the national budget with impunity.
One revelation struck deep. A Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) report released on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, stated that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte received tens of millions of pesos in campaign contributions from public works contractors during the 2022 national elections.
The Omnibus Election Code bans candidates from accepting donations from government suppliers. Yet records showed that in the last three years, those same contractors enjoyed a sharp rise in the number and value of contracts awarded to them. The PCIJ report was based on a review of publicly available government records, another example of its investigative journalism skills.
In response to the people’s rising anger, nationwide anti-corruption rallies are scheduled for today, Sunday, Sept. 21, to demand accountability and the return of the stolen money.
In Metro Manila, there will be four venues for anti-corruption rallies. These are the Luneta Park, the People Power Monument at Edsa, Liwasang Bonifacio and Camp Aguinaldo. Rallies are also planned in Cebu, Davao and other provinces. Some organizers call for the return of stolen funds; others want a leadership change. All demand the truth.
Expect fiery speeches on ghost projects, the renting of contractors’ licenses and the “insertions” lawmakers sneak into the national budget. Yet beneath the outrage lies the question: Are we ready for the truth?
To be ready means more than joining rallies or following hearings. It means being prepared to see this through, to demand that the guilty face prison time, that stolen money be returned and that the system enabling such impunity be dismantled.
This is the greater challenge for us. Too often, conversations end in resignation. I’ve heard people say that corruption is part of a broken system, that “ganyan talaga yan” (that’s how it is) and that nothing will change, whatever we do. That mindset is why corruption is so ingrained in our government and in society.
If we continue with this cynicism, then, indeed, corruption will win every time. But if we are ready, truly ready, for the truth, then we must also be prepared for action and change.
So, are we ready for the truth? Yes. But readiness cannot end with outrage. It must lead to justice.