by Daniel Long

 

DEATH PENALTY FOR ALL PLUNDERERS, NO EXCEPTIONS. Ninakawan na tayo ng P500 bilyon, gusto nyo pang buhayin?

Every year heavy rains and typhoons swallow homes and livelihoods in Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite, Rizal, Quezon City, and Metro Manila. Every year the government pours billions into “flood-control projects.” Yet Filipinos still drown and contract leptospirosis. Only recently did we learn why: much of that money did not build drainage systems or pumping stations but paid for mansions, vacations, and sports cars.

The ongoing flood-control scandal has lifted a nation that has been underwater. Whistleblowers Brice Hernandez, Jaypee Mendoza, Ex-DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, and most explosively Henry Alcantara, a former Bulacan DPWH district engineer, have confessed that up to 30% of project funds were stolen as kickbacks. Nearly 9,800 projects worth ₱545 billion are under investigation. Some were substandard, some overpriced, and some entirely ghost projects.

Senate Blue Ribbon hearings revealed a routine: contractors funneled “commissions,” district engineers acted as bagmen, and “proponents” in Congress: senators, representatives, party-list figures received their cuts. Big names were dropped: Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla, Chiz Escudero, Joel Villanueva, Zaldy Co, and Martin Romualdez.

Vince Dizon, replacing Manuel Bonoan as DPWH secretary, ordered audits, issued show-cause orders, and sought asset freezes worth billions on suspicious bank accounts and vehicles. Those are steps in the right direction, but not enough.

That is why Senator Bato dela Rosa’s new bill should be urgently debated and ultimately passed. His Senate Bill 1343 would reinstate the death penalty, via lethal injection, for plunder. He argues that plunder is worse than murder: it kills slowly, by disease, by floods that could have been prevented had the money built real floodgates instead of funding European vacations. In short, it gives the law teeth in truly punishing the corrupt.

On September 21 the “Baha sa Luneta”, “Trillion Peso March”, and the rally at Camp Aguinaldo led by retired generals filled the streets. Hundreds of thousands gathered at Luneta Park, the EDSA Shrine, and the People Power Monument, carrying placards, chanting “Mga kurakot, i-kulong na yan!” Celebrities joined in: Anne Curtis, Donny Pangilinan, David Licauco, Darren Espanto, Catriona Gray – but it was Vice Ganda who was the Star of the Show. On stage, Vice Ganda did what few politicians dare: call for death penalty for corrupt officials. Not just life imprisonment, but lethal justice. “Ibalik ang death penalty sa mga corrupt. Ikulong pati pamilya nila,” Vice declared, demanding that even families of plunderers face consequences. Vice, in this instance, spoke the language of the Filipino people. Truly a voice for the voiceless.

While I condemn violence and property destruction (e.g. traffic lights) on both sides in Mendiola, my heart is with the detained young people who are justifiably angry at systemic plunder. Not a single high-profile politician has been made to languish in jail; yet Malacañang has even claimed there were no casualties in the standoff.

Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros has thumbed down Bato’s proposal to restore the death penalty for the corrupt as “anti-poor, cruel, and inhumane,” opting instead to fight for “restorative justice” and “prison reform.” This is really an out-of-touch motherhood statement. Ninakawan na tayo ng P500 bilyon, gusto nyo pang buhayin? Elites who live in gated communities, shielded from the heavy rain and floods, should realize that plunder is both a slow-motion massacre and an act of treason against the nation – both crimes deserving of death. Her views echo those of Cardinal Pablo David, who had criticized Vice’s righteous indignation against the corrupt. Personally, nobody should listen to him. This is the same person who has written articles “In Defense of Judas.” For me, if you’re a religious leader—much less a successor to the Apostles—trying to rehabilitate Judas, then you have no business lecturing anyone on what is right and wrong.

Despite witnessing the numerous clashes between troublemakers among the Marcos loyalists, Duterte supporters, pink progressives, and revolutionary leftists at the rallies, I still believe it is possible to set aside our respective political colors, leave behind the slogans, and fight as Brown citizens, equally robbed of our taxes and yearning for justice. Our call is not just #MarcosResign, #PhilippinesVsRomualdez, or #BringZaldyHome. For me, systemic corruption requires a top‑down surgery, not simply a change in personality. Journalist Kara David, in her birthday message this year, wished, “Sana mamatay lahat ng kurakot sa Pilipinas.” That is not the language of tolerance and compromise but of righteous anger. We can and should make it happen under the law. Those who stole from us are not an abstract concept or a faceless target. They are flesh and blood. They are mortal. They have names, addresses, plate numbers, and family members. They possess ill‑gotten wealth at our expense, brag about it on social media, and think it’s funny; but I believe we will have the last laugh.

Let me be clear: To ALL of the corrupt politicians — be you congressmen or senators, political allies or opposition, contractors, or district engineers involved in substandard or ghost flood control projects — we are coming for you. Every party-list member who made improper insertions into the national budget, every government official or agency that pockets confidential and intelligence funds, every lawmaker who receives kickbacks, interferes in DPWH bidding processes, or accepts bribes; those responsible for cuts to PhilHealth and the Department of Education; and those who pocketed ayuda money meant for the poor: the people will hold you accountable. We put you there; you work for us. We demand that all 300+ congressmen and 24 senators release receipts showing how you spent billions in MOOE each year. There is no room for being selective in being anti‑corruption. To paraphrase DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon: Wala akong pakialam kung mauubos lahat kayo. Dizon has been doing an excellent job filing cases against corrupt district engineers and contractors, but I hope this will also extend to the politician masterminds. As Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said, “The Gen Zs are rising up. That is valid, and they should.” I have full confidence that our brave men in uniform will stand with us, the ordinary citizens angry at corruption, because they are the Armed Forces of the People, not the plunderers.

We have to salute the leaders who have taken a stand against systemic corruption in the country. First, Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, for exposing the kickbacks in rock netting and cat’s eye projects more than a year ago. Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto, for unearthing entrenched greed and standing up to the Discayas in Pasig. Gen Z Congressman Kiko Barzaga, for having balls of steel in publicly naming Martin Romualdez as the source of the problem in the House, and for vowing to use his powers to protect protesters. Congressman Isidro Ungab, for exposing the blanks in the 2025 Bicam Report, which ultimately led to what many now call the most corrupt national budget in history. Congressman Toby Tiangco, for publicly revealing suspicious insertions and the existence of a “small committee” that has been mangling the national budget behind closed doors. And last but certainly not the least, credit must be given to Vice President Sara Duterte, for being the first to publicly name Zaldy Co and Martin Romualdez as the two individuals who control the country’s national budget. Turns out, “Shimenet” was right about that.

In his SONA, President BBM said, to thunderous (hypocritical, really) applause from some congressmen, “Mahiya naman kayo!” It was a chastisement meant to shame the thieves who turned flood‑control into a business. Excuse me: while I laud his initiative to launch the Sumbong sa Pangulo website exposing the top 15 flood‑control contractors and the establishment of an independent commission to prosecute those involved in wrongdoing, I don’t buy for a second that this is all out of pure justice. He has been president for 3 years, signing these budgets the whole time, and he bragged about 5,500 flood‑control projects last year. The people must not allow him to wash his hands of any guilt or blame.

On the streets, law‑abiding, tax‑paying citizens were angrier, and some voices answered with a darker cry of rage: “Mamatay sana kayong lahat.” The rallies may be over, but the fight has just begun. To end, I second the motion of Senator Bato: pass Senate Bill Number 1343 restoring the DEATH PENALTY for PLUNDER now! It is the only non‑performative solution to address this systemic corruption. To reiterate, I do not care if political allies are involved in wrongdoing; I stand firm that, for this virus to end, those who stole our opportunities for a better life must simply pay with their own lives. If motherhood statements and sarswela-like hearings will not stop the looting; if stolen money is not returned to public coffers; if ill-gotten cars, houses, and luxury items are not confiscated; if courts will not convict the politicians and contractors; and if drainage systems are substandard while children drown, then the nation’s anger will keep growing. But our patience has its limits.

Finally, we have to be proud of ourselves, every one of us, from the rally attendees, those raising awareness on social media through shared posts and My Days, to mainstream and vlogger journalists doing exposés, who are speaking up now. We are not Filipinos for nothing. There is no shame in having voted for terrible people in government; it is our time to take a stand and rectify our mistakes. (During the CNN Philippines presidential debate in 2022, then Vice President Leni Robredo listed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as an agency she would investigate first for corruption). And to everyone who decided to stay silent in all of this, I speak for everyone when I say: you should be ashamed of yourselves for being indifferent and enabling corruption. There will be no peace until there is liberation and justice.

   

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