As thousands of Filipinos deal with flooding, there is another question that should not be ignored: will the public ever know the full truth about the people and decisions behind the failed flood control system?
People deserve answers. Not carefully selected answers. Not statements that only reveal what is convenient. Not a list of names given only after officials decide which information the public is allowed to hear.
If billions of pesos were meant for flood control and disaster protection, then Filipinos have the right to know where the money went, who approved the projects, who received the contracts, who failed to do their jobs, and why so many communities are still flooding despite years of government spending.
The problem is that people are now worried that the investigation will happen behind closed doors while the public is expected to simply wait for the final result. We may only be told what officials choose to reveal. By then, will we know the entire story? Or will we only know the names of the people they decide should take the blame?
That is what makes many people angry.
The families currently walking through floodwater do not care about political damage control. The workers who cannot get home safely do not care about protecting anyone’s image. The parents trying to save their children and belongings do not need another promise that an investigation is ongoing.
They need the truth.
They deserve to know the full list of people involved if corruption, negligence, or misuse of public funds contributed to projects that failed to protect communities. Accountability should not depend on who has political connections, who is powerful, or who is useful to a certain administration.
No investigation should become a tool for protecting friends while sacrificing only the people who are easiest to blame.
And yet, while people are demanding answers about flood control and public funds, political arguments continue to focus on issues that conveniently benefit one side or another. People are reminded of past controversies, confidential funds, questionable names and documents, and scandals involving political opponents. But when it comes to the suffering happening right now, there are people who suddenly want silence, patience, or blind trust.
This is the problem with extreme political loyalty.
Every administration has supporters who will criticize corruption only when the accused person belongs to the other camp. They will demand investigations against their enemies but defend their allies before the facts are even fully known. They want transparency, but only when transparency hurts the people they dislike.
That is not fighting corruption. That is politics.
Filipinos should not have to choose between one political camp and another just to demand accountability. The people suffering from floods today come from different political beliefs, provinces, religions, and social backgrounds. Floodwater does not ask whether someone is a Kakampink, a Loyalist, a DDS, or a supporter of the current administration.
When your house is underwater, political propaganda cannot save your belongings.
When your family is stranded, social media influencers defending politicians cannot clear the flood.
When public money that should have protected communities is allegedly wasted, mismanaged, or stolen, the people who suffer are ordinary Filipinos.
That is why the full truth matters.
The public should not be forced to depend on one official to decide who can and cannot be blamed. People deserve transparent investigations, complete information, and real accountability based on evidence. If there are officials, contractors, agencies, or other individuals responsible for failures involving flood control, the public deserves to know the whole story.
No selective justice.
No political protection.
No hiding behind private investigations and carefully written statements.
The Philippines is often described as beautiful, resilient, and full of progress. And yes, the country has beautiful people and hardworking citizens. But we should stop using those words to ignore the reality in front of us.
A country cannot truly be called progressive when people repeatedly lose their homes to floods while questions about billions in public funds remain unanswered.
Resilience is admirable, but Filipinos should not be forced to be resilient because those in power failed them.
The people are already suffering enough.
What they need now is not more political spin. They need the truth, the full list of those responsible if wrongdoing is proven, and real consequences.
Because while politicians argue, supporters defend their camps, and officials conduct investigations, ordinary Filipinos are the ones standing in dirty floodwater asking the same question:
Who was supposed to protect us, and where did all the money go?
