Corruption Is Also Personal: When Power Protects the Corrupt, Who Protects the People?

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

Corruption is never abstract. It is not some faceless monster lurking in government halls—it is personal. The faces are familiar, the names too obvious, the excuses too predictable. Yet the cruel irony is this: those who are corrupt never see themselves as corrupt. They convince themselves they are merely “playing the game,” “protecting interests,” or “doing what’s necessary.”

But the public is no longer fooled.

Matapos ang galit, ang kasalukuyang yugto ng taumbayan ay ito: pagiging mapagmatyag. Sino ang malinis at sino ang marumi? Sino ang credible at sino ang incredible? Sino ang nagsasabi ng totoo at sino ang nagsisinungaling? Sino ang karapat-dapat sa public trust, at sino ang nararapat itapon sa basurahan ng kasaysayan?

Magalong’s Resignation: A Warning Bell

The public’s bullshit meter exploded anew when Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong resigned as adviser of the so-called Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

His words were cutting but clear:

“Combined with circumstances that already cast doubt on the independence of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, it has become clear that my continued service is no longer tenable.”

In short, Magalong does not believe the Commission is independent. His withdrawal is not just a personal decision—it is an indictment of a Marcos administration that promised transparency but now finds itself drowning in its own contradictions.

When even a decorated officer and respected mayor refuses to lend his credibility to a commission meant to clean up corruption, what does that say about its integrity?

The Web of Names

Flood Control projects, mysterious billions, shadowy contractors, and a long list of names now entangled: Bernardo, Discaya, Brice Hernandez, Tagalong, ICI itself, Martin Romualdez, Marcoleta, Revilla, Jinggoy.

And at the center of the storm? Whispers of the “master magician” of the budget, Congressman Zaldy Co—enabled, allegedly, by no less than House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the President’s cousin.

Suspicion spread like wildfire. Yet instead of firm action, what do we see? Congressional interpellations, repetitive questions, political theater—when in truth, as one lawyer sharply asked, “Kung seryoso talaga ang imbestigasyon, bakit wala pang search warrants? Bakit hindi pa nase-secure ang mga ebidensiya?”

Instead of action, we see hesitation. Instead of justice, we see protection.

The Question of Complicity

Why the hesitation? Why the delays? Why the endless speeches?

Is the administration pumping the brakes because too many allies might get burned? Because this scandal, opened like Pandora’s Box, may have released more demons than the President anticipated?

Remember: it was Marcos Jr. himself who lit the fuse. But now that the explosion has reached his own cousin and powerful allies, is he retreating?

If he closes the box now, the stench of corruption will only grow stronger. If he lets it remain open, the rot of systemic theft may consume not just his presidency but the very institutions that still pretend to uphold democracy.

A Nation’s Betrayal

And here’s the bitter truth: this is not just about Bulacan. Sources whisper of similar stories in Tarlac, Pampanga, and other provinces across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. For every contractor, there is a politician. For every ghost project, there is a ghost of justice left unfulfilled.

Yet the hearings drag on. Witnesses are discredited for technicalities—like botching the notarization of an affidavit. Seriously? A simple notarization, and it still collapses? If this is the quality of “truth-seeking” we get, then no wonder the guilty sleep soundly.

What Do We Teach the Next Generation?

As one Rappler editor asked, what do these spectacles teach the youth?

That lying pays—as long as you are never caught.

That even if caught, money and connections will still buy you freedom.

That honesty doesn’t matter. Hard work doesn’t count. What counts is cunning, deceit, and power.

This is the moral crisis corruption brings. It erodes not just budgets, but the soul of a nation.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The Marcos administration owes the Filipino people more than half-hearted reforms and hollow words. It owes us a real investigation, ironclad cases filed in court, and systemic changes in how the budget is created and controlled.

Anything less is complicity. Anything less is betrayal.

Because corruption is not abstract. It is not distant. It is personal. And until this administration confronts the rot within its own circle, every promise of change remains a lie—paid for not by the corrupt, but by every Filipino robbed of a future.

Inspired from a Rappler editorial

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