How did we arrive at a place where P545 billion in public funds could be siphoned into substandard or non-existent projects, where only 15 contractors cornered one-fifth of the budget? How did betrayal of public trust become so casual, so systemic, that it now feels like a routine headline?
Today , as we sat and watch the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing we get to hear from the Contractors themselves who among our lawmakers get their needed commissions and how much . And that , I have remembered the Rock band White Lion with their song When the Children Cry. Its quite sad but perhaps the sentimental song is apt for the times.
What have we become? Just look what we have done
All that we destroyed., you must build again..
Sadly, it would be the children of tomorrow that would suffer, even the children of the Contractors and Politicians themselves.
This is not just about politics. It is about the soul of our nation.
Corruption is not a victimless crime. Every peso stolen is a classroom left unbuilt, a hospital understaffed, a road that remains impassable. It is the mother who wades through floodwaters with her child in tow, the farmer whose crops rot because drainage was never finished, the student who studies by candlelight because funds for electrification were misused.
To those who hold power: You were not elected to enrich yourselves. You were chosen to serve. Public office is not a privilege—it is a sacred duty. When you steal, you do not just rob the treasury. You rob hope. You rob dignity. You rob the future.
But this appeal is not only for those in government. It is for all of us.
We must reject the culture of silence and complicity. We must stop normalizing “palakasan,” “under-the-table deals,” and “utang na loob” that compromise accountability. We must teach our children that integrity is not weakness—it is strength. That honesty is not naïve—it is revolutionary.
Let us be the generation that says: Enough. Enough of ghost projects. Enough of dynasties that treat public funds as family inheritance. Enough of leaders who forget that their power comes from the people.
All that we destroy , the child will build again…
