Reactive, preventive

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday. I believe the best takeaway from that speech was an admonishment of those officials and contractors who profited from various flood control projects that failed to prevent widespread flooding in the wake of back-to-back weather disturbances over the past two weeks. Some projects were non-existent as he toured flood-stricken areas of Metro Manila. He vowed to prosecute those contractors and government officials involved in corruption, which led to hardships for the people. Most of the SONA touted the government’s accomplishments, but what received a standing ovation was his saying, “Mahiya naman kayo,” taking a stab at those involved in corruption.

That’s a reactive response to corruption, which, in the remaining three years of his administration, he would deliver. Although I am not holding my breath as all SONAs have their versions of threats and promises against corruption and crime, as well as motherhood statements, I am hopeful, if only to make good on what he said in his first SONA, that he be judged by his actions and not his ancestry. Coming from the president, that was huge.

Then there are Senators Tito Sotto and Ping Lacson. Right off the bat, both senators are calling for probes and investigations into the “scandalous” insertions made during the bicameral conference, as well as the almost two trillion pesos allocated over the past 15 years for flood control that have not yielded the desired results, respectively. Sotto said the scale and secrecy of the said insertions, which run into the billions, point to a massive pork barrel scheme. Sotto has described the budget insertions as scandalous because the cuts came from the DepEd and the DOH. The US passed a similar bill. Budget cuts into Medicare and Medicaid are in the bill while offering tax cuts to the ultra-rich, a hallmark of a Trump presidency.

Sotto goes further by citing the insertions go into flood control and infrastructure projects, particularly Sorsogon, Bulacan, and Davao, which are the bailiwicks of Senators Escudero, Villanueva, Go, and Dela Rosa, respectively. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

Sen. Lacson is questioning the massive amount of funds that have gone into flood control over the last 15 years. The budget of the DPWH was only ?11 billion under the 2011 Aquino administration. It increased to over ?100 billion in 2018 under Duterte, ?280 billion in 2023, ?349 billion in 2024, and ?346 billion in 2025. So, President Marcos Jr. is right in saying, “Mahiya naman kayo,” since the budget allocations are astronomical under his watch. Let’s see if we see heads roll under the new Congress. President Marcos is halfway through his term. Let’s see if he can make good on his actions/ancestry statement.