In the Philippines, the rains should bring life to our fields and water to our homes. Instead, they have become a season of fear. Every downpour turns streets into rivers, and rooftops into waiting rooms for rescue. Families wade chest-deep, clutching children, while government funds meant for protection are siphoned off into private pockets.
Flood control projects—lifelines that should save us—are too often treated as cash cows by corrupt officials. Recent reports of anomalous permits, kickbacks, and ghost projects reveal not negligence but betrayal. Money that should keep communities safe has been stolen. This is not incompetence. This is evil.
“Do not make peace with evil, destroy it.” These words should be our battle cry. We cannot settle for endless committee hearings that lead to silence. We cannot accept cosmetic fixes that vanish with the next typhoon. To compromise with corruption is to condemn another generation of Filipinos to suffer the same floods, the same despair.
Accountability must be absolute. Every official implicated should face the law. Every stolen peso must be returned. Every abusive system must be dismantled. If we are to build dams and dikes, let them stand as shields of protection, not monuments to greed.
Why does this matter to every Filipino? Because floods do not choose victims. Whether rich or poor, in city or province, when the waters rise, all are vulnerable. If corruption continues, it is not just our homes that drown—it is our hope for a just society.
The fight will be long and bitter. But like the angel who never hesitates, we too must stand firm—choosing justice over comfort, truth over silence, and action over excuses.
Because when the rains return—and they always do—the people deserve to stand on higher ground, not sink deeper into corruption’s flood.
Roy Bato is the Founding President of the Kapisanan ng mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) CALABARZON Chapter and has been a dedicated broadcast journalist for 29 years. Through powerful storytelling and fearless journalism, he champions truth, transparency, and the voice of every Filipino.
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