Where are the gods of guilt?

In an early morning meeting last week over black coffee, the head of a Triple A contractor warned me that at the rate that funds for flood control are being corrupted here in our country, it’s likely that in a few years, we will soon find our nation back to the chaotic early 1980s, during the time of Marcos Sr.

He reminded me about that era when state coffers were wiped out, a harsh reality which we are still paying for to this day.

“That is what will happen if this (corruption) continues,” said the contractor, himself a victim of sorts in such a broken ecosystem wherein local government officials, in cahoots with congressmen, demand kickbacks from contractors they tap to construct these flood control structures.

In the early to mid-80s, the Philippine economy was on the verge of collapse, suffering its worst post-war recession under the Marcos regime. This was due to its massive debt, borrowed to fund extravagant projects spearheaded by then first lady Imelda Marcos and their cronies.

Economist Dr. Emmanuel de Dios noted that by 1984 to 1985, the country could no longer pay its obligations, precipitating a debt crisis, which translated to loss of livelihood and extreme poverty.

What followed after that period were lost decades that could have allowed us to become a strong regional player. As I said, we are still paying for what happened then.

Mr. Contractor said the practice of kickbacks even worsened under the current administration – 50 percent or more of the project cost instead of the usual 30 percent in previous years. Perhaps this is due to inflation or because some of the incumbent local executives are running for the 2025 elections and need to boost their campaign kitty.

Whichever it is, the contractor says these projects are robbing the Treasury of much-needed funds, forcing our fiscal authorities to borrow from creditors to fill the funding gap. The result is a growing pile of debt which, if unabated, could leave our country in a huge debt hole we cannot get out of.

The government’s outstanding debt is projected to reach P16.06 trillion by yearend and further increase to P17.35 trillion by end-2025 from P15.7 trillion as of end-July.

For sure, such a debt pile would again set us back for decades. No wonder our Asian neighbors have overtaken us by leaps and bounds.

Stories of rampant corruption in government contracts are nothing new, but hearing this straight from someone who is part of such an impossibly broken system hits differently. The picture he painted is gloomy, as dark and as bitter as my black coffee.

On Thursday morning, as Severe Tropical Storm Kristine ripped through parts of the country, and as photos and videos of villages wiped out by the flooding spread on social media, I couldn’t help but think about our unscrupulous local executives and greedy lawmakers.

How can they stand watching their constituents washed away by the floods, knowing too well that they stole the funds that could have helped avert such disasters?

Where are the gods of guilt in this forsaken nation of 120 million?

Mr. Contractor said their industry is not for the faint-hearted. He feels morally conflicted, he said, and profoundly guilty to be part of such a corrupt system.

But it is what it is, he said. He tries to avoid participating in flood control projects as much as he can, although that’s really easier said than done.

The politicians, after all, can go after him and his other businesses if he doesn’t play their game.

Flood control strategies

As for the projects themselves, an article published by the University of the Philippines’ College of Architecture pointed out that the focus of flood control projects in the Philippines has been largely on risk reduction and not on risk avoidance.

“Most of the projects are engineering-based and very few deal with land use, thus neglecting the more important issues of housing, job creation and others. Esteros and other natural drains are neglected and become breeding grounds for garbage, literally and figuratively.”

There are strategies that worked, like the relocation of San Juan town proper to avoid flooding and the strategies employed by the Spaniards in selecting the location of the city.

In recent years, however, government planners failed to consider land use planning in dealing with flooding. This brought the Philippines to the never-ending loop of flooding and recovery, according to the article.

Moving forward, the article said, risk avoidance strategies – such as proper urban planning and relocation of informal settlers – should be given priority without losing sight of risk reduction strategies, as both need to work together.

Risk reduction strategies include constructing irrigation canals, erosion control measures, dams, flood gates, sea walls, etc.

The government supposedly allots over P400 billion a year for flood control. That’s at least a billion a day, an amount that can certainly make a significant impact in flood-prone areas, but that’s not what’s happening because funds for these projects are corrupted with impunity.

Perhaps to salve their conscience, corrupt officials just dole out cash to helpless victims like a godsent savior in times of crisis.

But that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the amount they steal.

The result is double thievery – they steal the funds for critical flood control projects and when the floods come, they hand out some cash to drenched victims, stripping them of whatever dignity they have.

Against this backdrop, I can’t help but wonder – where indeed are the gods of guilt?

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.