The so-called investigations into massive corruption involving government officials have become an insult to the people’s sanity. An independent commission that is not independent cannot bring justice, and investigations led by the accused themselves are nothing but political theater. This spectacle has long ceased to serve truth; it only mocks it.
The public has grown weary of this endless investigation cycle that leads nowhere. The pattern is familiar: corruption is exposed, a commission is formed, names are dropped, and silence follows. When the very individuals suspected of wrongdoing have a hand in appointing those tasked to investigate them, the outcome is already decided. The entire process becomes an elaborate deception meant to pacify public outrage while ensuring that no one might ever be held accountable. The show is not about truth—it is about control.
The flood control project scandal is a glaring example. Billions of pesos have vanished into the pockets of contractors and officials. Yet, instead of focusing on the plunder, the spotlight has conveniently shifted to the impeachment of the Vice President. It is a classic diversion tactic that has been perfected through the years by those in power. The guilty are given a smokescreen while the public’s attention is drawn elsewhere. By the time the noise subsides, the issue is buried, the documents are lost, and the culprits emerge untouched. Such manipulation deepens the people’s contempt and makes a mockery of democracy.
What makes this tragedy unbearable is the deliberate nature of the deceit. Those who hold the reins of power exploit the people’s faith in institutions. They use the machinery of government not to serve justice but to protect themselves from it. Each investigation becomes an illusion of accountability, a well-rehearsed performance that sustains a rotten system. In this way, corruption is not merely tolerated—it is institutionalized. Moral decay has spread so deeply that even justice itself has become a commodity, traded and negotiated behind closed doors.
Only genuine independence and moral courage can restore meaning to public investigation. Those tasked with pursuing corruption must not owe their appointment or loyalty to the people they are intended to scrutinize. There must be laws shielding them from political interference, and the citizens must remain vigilant, refusing to be distracted or deceived. Until then, the pursuit of justice will remain futile, and this nation will continue to be betrayed—not by its enemies but by its own leaders.
