Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson didn’t mince words when he called out the “shameless hypocrites” in Congress who leapt to their feet, applauding President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s SONA tirade against corruption in flood control projects. Their standing ovation, Lacson suggested, was a grotesque display of duplicity—lawmakers complicit in the very graft they pretended to condemn. While some may have clapped with clean hands, Lacson’s scathing rebuke on X branded the rest as frauds, awkwardly glancing around before joining the charade. This moment lays bare a deeper rot: a Congress riddled with opportunists who profit from the nation’s misery while feigning outrage.
In his SONA, Marcos unleashed a blistering attack on those who’ve plundered billions allocated for flood control, leaving communities submerged under monsoon floods. “Mahiya naman kayo,” he thundered, shaming officials and contractors who pocketed funds meant to protect Filipinos, burdening future generations with debt. The lawmakers’ enthusiastic applause seemed to signal agreement—until Lacson’s post on July 30, 2025, exposed their hypocrisy. Citing Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, Lacson revealed that lawmakers’ cuts in flood control projects can reach a staggering 50%, with some pocketing up to 65% in ghost projects during the Napoles pork barrel scam era. In 2022, a lawmaker confided to Lacson that at least 67 House members were contractors themselves—a number likely higher now, shielded by secretive budget insertions.
These are not faceless culprits but elected officials who clapped for Marcos’ anti-corruption vow while their hands dripped with “grease money.” Lacson’s call for an independent probe, involving civilians to ensure transparency, is a direct challenge to this cabal. He estimates that of the nearly P2 trillion allocated to the Department of Public Works and Highways for flood control since 2011, half may have been siphoned off. Yet, as floodwaters rise, these hypocrites hide behind ovations, betting on investigations fizzling out as they always do. Their applause was not solidarity—it was a performance to mask their guilt.
Congress must heed Lacson’s demand for accountability. The Filipino people, battered by floods and betrayed by graft, deserve more than crocodile tears from lawmakers who’ve enriched themselves for decades. Stop the budget “bulungan” deals. Open bicameral deliberations to public scrutiny. Punish the contractors and their congressional accomplices. If these “shameless hypocrites” truly wish to serve, they should start by confessing their sins and returning the people’s money. Until then, their applause is just noise, drowning out the cries of a nation underwater.(TAMBULI NG BAYAN-Ronnie Estrada) #PingLacson #hypocrites #FloodControlProject #BagongPilipinas #BongbongMarcos
Photo: Senator Ping Lacson