EDITORIAL: Returning Loot

THE unfolding investigation into anomalous multibillion-peso flood control projects signals a turning point in how we, as a nation, must deal with corruption—not merely by punishing the guilty, but by rightfully returning what has been stolen from the Filipino people.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon is absolutely right: jail time is not enough. For too long, the cycle of corruption in government infrastructure projects has followed a familiar pattern—scandal, outrage, token punishment, and then silence.

But this time, the goal must be more ambitious and more just: full accountability that includes the recovery of public funds.

The people are not simply looking for headlines and arrests. They are demanding restitution.

When Secretary Dizon announced his intention to work with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to freeze and eventually forfeit the assets of those involved, he introduced a critical layer of justice that is often missing in graft cases.

Corruption is not merely a violation of the law—it is the outright theft of resources that should have gone to flood protection, infrastructure, education, and health. It is theft, plain and simple.

What makes the Oriental Mindoro case particularly enraging is the discovery of “ghost” flood control projects—projects that were listed and funded in the national budget but do not physically exist. These are not just accounting errors or bureaucratic mishaps. These are deliberate, systemic acts of deceit, carried out in collusion between public officials and private contractors.

The involvement of companies like Sunwest Inc., St. Timothy Construction Corp., and Elite General Contractor and Development Corp., as cited by Secretary Dizon, and their apparent connection to known political personalities, reveals the depth of entrenched corruption networks in our infrastructure programs.

It is a betrayal not just of public trust, but of the very communities these projects were supposed to protect from floods and disasters.

It is encouraging to see academic institutions like the University of the Philippines taking a stand. The “Black Friday” protest was not just symbolic—it was a necessary act of civic engagement.

UP President Angelo Jimenez is correct in saying that “we cannot stay neutral.” Silence is complicity. Every taxpayer, every student, every ordinary citizen has a stake in demanding transparency and justice.

But while protests raise awareness, they must also be matched by real, systemic reforms: tighter contract oversight, transparent public bidding, rigorous auditing, and a justice system that moves swiftly and fairly.

Going after “bonds, warranties, and securities”, as Secretary Dizon emphasized, is a technical but crucial part of holding both contractors and government officials liable under the terms of their own agreements.

Will this investigation expand beyond Oriental Mindoro and Bulacan? Will it reach the higher echelons of power—former secretaries, senators, or presidential allies—if evidence warrants? Or will it stall, as many others have before it?

If the Marcos administration truly believes in fighting corruption, then it must prove it not just by jailing the guilty, but by ensuring that every peso stolen is returned to the people.

Billions of pesos were meant to build defenses against the literal rising tide. But we also need protection from the flood of corruption that has eroded our institutions and stolen our future.

Justice must go beyond punishment. It must include restitution. The people don’t just want convictions—they want their money back.