The Audacity of the Senators Amid Corruption Issues

The Philippine Senate is once again at the center of controversy, this time with hearings on failed flood control projects and alleged corruption in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). On paper, the hearings should be an avenue for truth, accountability, and reform. Yet the credibility of this process is now under question because of the very people leading it.

Senators in the Spotlight

Figures like Jinggoy Estrada, Bato dela Rosa, Bong Go, Joel Villanueva, Chiz Escudero, and Mark Villar have drawn attention not for their pursuit of justice, but for the conflict of interest and historical baggage they bring into the discussion.

Jinggoy Estrada was implicated in the infamous PDAF scam, casting doubts on his moral authority to investigate corruption.

Bato dela Rosa and Bong Go, both closely tied to the Duterte administration, are seen as protectors of networks that thrived under their patron’s leadership, particularly DPWH-linked contractors.

Joel Villanueva and Chiz Escudero have also faced questions over budget allocations and political accommodations, raising suspicions of selective scrutiny.

Mark Villar,   the former head of the DPWH during the years that ghost projects and failed flood control projects were traced back to 2016, and  with his family’s stronghold in politics and real estate, cannot escape the perception of benefiting from the very system he is supposed to help clean up.

The Problem of Conflicts and Connections

The years of the previous administration entrenched a web of political, business, and contractor linkages. Many of the firms implicated in irregular DPWH projects trace their origins or growth to this period. Now, senators who once had ties with these same networks are sitting in judgment—an arrangement that reeks of hypocrisy.

Moreover, budget insertions have long been a plague in Philippine politics, with ghost projects serving as cash cows for politicians and their allies. When those accused of benefiting from such schemes are the ones holding the gavel in the hearings, how can the public trust the process?

A Circus, Not Accountability

Instead of delivering justice, these hearings often degenerate into political theater—long speeches, fiery exchanges, and headline-grabbing soundbites. The tragedy lies in the fact that, despite the noise, no one gets punished. Billions are lost, projects fail, and ordinary Filipinos—those who wade through floods and live in poorly built communities—pay the price.

What should have been a venue for transparency has become a media circus, a spectacle designed to distract rather than deliver justice. The people are right to feel that time, money, and effort are being wasted, while the powerful remain untouched.

Conclusion

The audacity of these senators lies in their assumption that Filipinos will once again accept the charade. But the growing skepticism is telling. Until those with direct conflicts of interest are barred from leading such hearings—and until real accountability is pursued—the Senate risks being seen less as a check on corruption and more as an institution complicit in perpetuating it.


PS: This is just an opinion of an ordinary citizen as a reflection of the ongoing issues in the country.