Economic sabotage charges vs. Bulacan contractor: PBBM orders probe on P55M ghost flood control project | Photo via PCO
In his last State of the Nation Address, President Marcos ordered an audit of all flood mitigation projects. An initial review by the Department of Public Works and Highways revealed that of the P545-billion public funds allocated for all flood control projects nationwide in the last three years, P100 billion or almost 20 percent went to only 15 contractors. Of late, the president has been going on a nationwide fact-finding mission to see for himself the extent of corruption in infrastructure projects.
To many’s astonishment, the president admitted that he is “getting very angry” at non-existent or “ghost” projects in places like Bulacan that were reported as completed, yet not even a single hollow block was put in place. The president decried the public funds that have gone to waste because of corruption, characterizing it as “economic sabotage.”
People appreciate the president’s clear-eyed focus on getting to the bottom of things and inspecting them himself. When I told him that he may be spreading himself too thin – after all, he is no spring chicken – the president answered: “I took on this job – I have to do what I need to do.”
I have no doubt President Marcos will see this through to the end. He made that commitment to himself when he first got into politics. Being born under the sun sign of Virgo, he is a perfectionist with keen attention to detail.
Flooding has been a perennial problem in this country, and no one doubts that corruption in flood control projects has existed for decades. It’s not a question of poor infrastructure but a deeper, systemic problem that involves corruption, which is why the issue has never been completely solved.
President Marcos really wants to do as much as he can in the last three years of his term to address problems that are also aggravated by too much politics and politicking. He is also trying as much as he can to deal with the issue of US tariffs that we are all working to address because of their impact on our economy.
On the bright side, the Budget department expects our GDP to grow by six percent in the third quarter of 2025, while Japanese credit rating agency R&I affirmed the Philippines’ “A-” investment-grade rating with a stable outlook, citing the country’s steady economic growth.
“Those of us who have been given the privilege of being in government must do our part to help our country and its leadership. A president may stand at the helm, but he cannot steer the ship alone. It takes the strength and the resolve of every Filipino to reach safe and prosperous shores. To paraphrase President Quezon: “Our loyalty to anyone ends where our loyalty to our country begins.”
I have said this many times in the past, especially to those who live and work abroad: we have only one country. “Mahalin mo ang bayan natin, maski papano uuwi ka rin isang araw” – love our country because no matter what, you will still want to come home one day. Everyone has to do their part in their own way. We are facing threats from without, with illegal incursions within our exclusive economic zone; harassment of our fishermen and dangerous maneuvers against Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Navy vessels.
And now, we have the extradition request of the United States against Apollo Quiboloy which has been a long time coming – as far back as 2021 when Quiboloy was included in the FBI’s “Most Wanted List” and indicted by a federal grand jury in California for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; conspiracy and bulk cash smuggling. In the Philippines, Quiboloy is also facing charges of human trafficking and sexual abuse of children.
Sexually abusing children is one of the most heinous crimes that people all over the world abhor. Children who experience any form of abuse are scarred for life. Even prison inmates detest child sexual abusers – beating them up, raping them, or, in many instances, killing them. Most child abusers are isolated in separate cells.
Our government will ultimately have to decide whether the cases Quiboloy is facing in Philippine courts can be temporarily set aside so he can be extradited and tried in the US, after which he can be sent home to face trial in Philippine courts, or vice versa. Whichever way it goes, the trials must proceed soon because, as Senator Risa Hontiveros pointed out, “victims have waited too long for justice,” and it would not be right to prolong their agony.
I know we also have pending extradition requests to the United States – one of them is reportedly for a pedophile who is also involved in murder. And if I recall correctly, the Philippine government’s requests to extradite these Americans who fled to the United States were made several years ago.
There are many issues and problems our country is facing today. One cannot imagine what being president of the Philippines is like at this time. One has to be, at the very least, motivated by a higher purpose. I know that President Bongbong really loves the Philippines and its people because, frankly, he could have comfortably lived abroad for the rest of his life if he wanted to. Being president is incredibly lonely – oftentimes, you don’t really know who your friends are anymore. One thing is for sure – PBBM is determined to do whatever it takes to move this country forward, and I know that in the end, he will succeed.
Those of us who have been given the privilege of being in government must do our part to help our country and its leadership. A president may stand at the helm, but he cannot steer the ship alone. It takes the strength and the resolve of every Filipino to reach safe and prosperous shores. To paraphrase President Quezon: “Our loyalty to anyone ends where our loyalty to our country begins.”
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