*Dr. Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD
I have been watching the Senate Blue Ribbon hearings on the flood control scam, and to be honest, every time I do, my heart sinks. What should have been a solemn search for the truth has become a circus of drama—Senators humiliating witnesses, hurling insults at their colleagues, and parading their legal knowledge as if the hearings were a courtroom for showmanship, not a chamber for truth. It is painful to see our leaders treat such a serious matter as if it were entertainment.
This is not a game. We are talking about billions of pesos—money that could have built walls to protect families from floods, money that could have spared mothers from carrying their children through waist-deep waters, money that could have saved lives. Instead, this money may have been stolen, pocketed, shared among politicians and their allies. And what we are given now is not justice, not truth, but theater.
What troubles me most is how the focus has shifted. Contractors are being painted as the villains, as if they alone could engineer this scam. But we know better. Contractors cannot move without signatures from those in power. No project worth billions are awarded without the blessing of Senators, Congressmen, and government officials. To pretend otherwise is to blindfold the people while the real masterminds laugh behind closed doors.
That is why I believe the President must listen to SenatorTito Sotto, who has called for an independent fact-finding body. A body composed not of politicians hungry for soundbites, but of individuals with proven integrity—men and women who cannot be bought, who carry reputations that inspire trust, who will not tremble before the powerful. Such a body can investigate without fear, without drama, and without the chains of politics.
But this body must not be endless. It must be given a definite period of time to complete its work so that cases can be immediately filed with the Ombudsman. Otherwise, it risks becoming just another political performance. We have seen it too many times: “investigations in aid of legislation” that drag on without deadlines, wasting energy and resources. These hearings become nothing more than investigation gymnastics—with all the somersaults, twists, and falls, but never a finish line. The Filipino people cannot afford another spectacle that ends in nothing.
Beyond this, the President must act in his own capacity as the leader of this nation. He must have the courage to axe or replace people in his Cabinet who, time and again, have been the subject of whispers in the media, the talk of the streets, even the gossip in the barbershops. These so-called “negative energies” weaken his administration from within. A true leader does not allow rotten wood to remain in the foundation of his house.
As for Congress and the Senate—these independent branches of government know, among themselves, who are involved. They must make a noble act, for the sake of the Motherland, to restructure their leadership and cleanse their ranks. Only then can the Filipino people begin to give back their trust to institutions that have long been tainted by corruption and betrayal.
I say this not just as an observer but as a Filipino who feels the same anger many of you feel. I see the betrayal, I feel the disappointment, and I understand the rage that builds in our hearts. Each day this scandal is left unresolved, our patience runs thinner. And when people have had enough, history tells us they do not stay quiet. They lash out. They protest. They revolt. The danger is that anger may explode against the wrong targets—the small players—while the real giants of corruption slip away once more.
This is why action is urgent. The flood control scam is not simply about missing funds. It is about the collapse of trust. And without trust, what do we have left? Only anger. Only despair.
The President has a choice. He can let this scandal become another chapter in the endless book of corruption, or he can rise above politics and stand with the people. Creating an independent body with a clear mandate and strict deadline is not just a legal step—it is a moral stand. It tells us that the fight against corruption is real, that justice is possible, that not even the most powerful are untouchable.
I watched those hearings, and I felt ashamed of the spectacle. But I also felt a flicker of hope—that perhaps this could be the turning point. The Filipino people deserve more than drama. We deserve truth. We deserve leaders who will act with dignity, not theatrics.
This is not about politics anymore. This is about the soul of our nation. And it is time for the President, Congress, and the Senate to prove, once and for all, that governance is not about spectacle, but about service; not about power, but about justice.
