First of two parts The call to jail the crooks in the flood-control corruption scandal thundered above all others in a setting intended to highlight athletic excellence and school pride, not political defiance: “Ikulong na ’yan, mga kurakot!” It was halftime during the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) basketball match between the University...
Tag: flood control projects
Post
Bonoan’s ‘bad leadership’ and other highlights of the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing
The resumption on Monday of the Senate blue ribbon committee’s inquiry into the corruption scandal was marked by disclosures and denials, including Manuel Bonoan’s claim that he was unaware of and did not benefit from multibillion-peso “allocables” or kickbacks during his three-year watch as head of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Senators...
Post
Let us make it a happier new year
As children, we realize quickly the falsehood of elf workshops, Rudolph, and Santa Claus. In our maturity, the next myth we debunk is that of a merry Christmas. Indeed, while Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” replays for the 13th time in a neighbor’s home, while guests biding time to bow out move on...
Post
Lost lives, lost homes, lost livelihoods
One day in the 1990s after rivers of lahar streamed from the slopes of Mount Pinatubo and buried many homes in Pampanga, I was peering through a second-floor window below my eye level. The ground was warm beneath my sneakers as I stooped to look into a bedroom with a double bed and its tousled...
Post
Marcos admin freed up ₱214B in unprogrammed funds for ‘priority’ infra in 2023-2024
The term “unprogrammed appropriations,” or UAs, sounds innocent enough. But to politicians, public works officials and contractors, they are an opportunity for graft. UAs are standby funds sourced from new or excess government revenues and foreign loans. These revenues were not expected and so were not included in the regular budget. In 2023 and 2024,...
Post
Kabataan lawmaker says young Filipinos are ‘incredibly agitated’ by the theft of public funds and their future
For Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Louise Co, there was nothing performative in the halftime gig on Oct. 19 of the University of the Philippines (UP) Varsity Pep Squad and the De La Salle University (DLSU) Animo Squad in which they joined forces in assailing the massive corruption in flood control and other infrastructure projects. Co described...
Post
The government’s flood control projects are a systemic failure
A University of the Philippines (UP) study presented this conclusion after an examination of the havoc that flooding has wrought on the country’s infrastructure despite the humongous amounts of taxpayer money spent on flood control projects by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). “Its flood control projects alone are supposed to abate damage,...
Post
AFP issues disinformation alert, urges Filipinos to ‘be discerning and uphold the truth’
With public anger growing over the corruption scandal involving government flood control projects, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has issued a “disinformation alert” declaring its stand against calls by some groups for its intervention. “These are clear attempts to sow doubt and erode trust in your Armed Forces. The AFP is a professional...
Post
‘Not an easy choice’: Magalong resigns from ICI
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong quit his post as a special adviser of the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) on Friday, the same day Malacañang said his appointment is under review due to possible conflict of interest. His resignation was “not an easy choice, but one I believe is necessary,” Magalong said in a statement...
Post
I’m only happy when it rains
My wife and I woke up one Wednesday morning and I hit the snooze button on the alarm clock. It was raining and the air was cool. In the additional five minutes of sleep, otherwise known as negotiating with myself if I should get up or not, there was a quandary in my head: With...