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I suppose the ghouls of their actions are haunting early. It still isn’t All Saints’ Day, but the phantom of the flood projects is swimming in the water. All was said, but none was done as the P55 million river wall project stood so robustly absent in Baliuag, Bulacan. The spectral plots were not limited to the stated plan because whopping P24 million, P77 million, and P217 million arrangements for flood management also went down the drain; their walls weren’t so invincible to hide what was truly behind. Provinces of La Union, Pampanga, Bulacan, and Oriental Mindoro all confront the same enemy—flooding. And their accomplice? The nonexistent mitigations for it. From the P545 billion allotment for overall projects, P100 billion of it was spent on only 15 contractors for the operation, and yet we are still continuously forced to rise again whenever calamities strike. For some, it is a noble act; the spirit of bayanihan is deeply ingrained in us; however, those who handle the lifelong fruits of labor of the masses audaciously abuse it. The act of bayanihan shouldn’t be the permanent solution to problems that should’ve been temporary, to issues that could’ve been avoided if they had just done their jobs right. They are not just pocketing the taxes that we Filipinos pay them; they are also bagging the protection we expect them to give. I cannot even ask to imagine the situation because the circumstance is already a reality. The toil we put in for seven days and a minimum of eight hours every day is being drained by those for their own interest. Your hard work is being reaped by others, who, for the flood control, are 67 congressmen who are on the sidelines, contractors. The dikes that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) considers as done are just big yikes with little to no help for the populace. Expecting decent payoffs from substandard materials is like awaiting good governance from those who are all bark and no bite. The same price, same design costs the masses the same aftermath every time. The winner truly takes it all, because despite fulfilling your obligations as a duly citizen, the rubbish of politicos seeks to pollute the supposed clear waters meant for us. I cannot deem that the affair is ironic or laughable; this sitch is the actuality for our fellowmen, and needless to say, far from being amusing. Because of the imaginary procedures, leptospirosis cases skyrocketed to 2,396 according to the Department of Health (DOH) this year. The surge of cases isn’t just a threat but a silent warning of the bite of clogged drainage systems and knee-high floods. Mother Earth is doing us a favor by showing another consequence of corruption committed by money-grubbing officials. So, may I say, validating documents for the projects is simply not enough to aid those who are already affected, former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan. Those who sit atop have no right to tell me to find other ways to cope with the floods when we are the reason why they are comfortably settled there from the beginning. As I trudge through the waters to attend my classes, soaked in rain with my drenched backpack, it is a stinging slap to watch nepo babies lavish themselves with the money the common Filipino loses day by day. It is unfair for us, and frankly, a maddening reality to live in. To tell me to work hard for a bright future is a bold move, especially coming from someone who hasn’t left the cradle of nepotism. If it weren’t for Mayor Vico Sotto's first hit on the Discaya couple with the alleged paid interviews, the domino effect that is connecting Filipinos would not fall, and continue to conceal what truly transpires inside the room where it happens. And now the rope of unity that brought corruption together is finally snapping; it is satisfying to watch the associated being revealed one by one. This is a flood they can no longer run from. It is already a mantra to iterate whenever the government disappoints; public dilemmas would not be solved if those appointed to solve them would rather bag the funds. We don’t need overbold showoffs to act for the people; what we must have are law-fearing, law-abiding public servants who would not even think of swiping a single cent from the reserves made by Filipinos and made for Filipinos. Instead of declaring projects as automatically done, it’s time for the department that is determined to build for our benefit to leave their offices and validate what is concrete from the unreal. Transparency is not a need in these cases, but a must when the lives of the public are at stake in every inclement condition. Balancing the percentages for the overall share of the construction should be prioritized, along with the employment of good-quality materials to prevent the contractors from bringing home 60% of it. It’s nice seeing the ghouls of their consequences haunting early; it’s not so ghostly now, is it?