Contextualizing and unpacking the billions we could be enjoying
To say there’s widespread disappointment due to the ongoing flood control scandal is an understatement. In the flash of an eye, outrage from a controversial interview with a contractor turned into a social media witch hunt for nepo babies flaunting their ill-gotten wealth—and later, a definitive exposé on the billions of pesos being misused in the form of nonexistent or substandard flood control projects.
It goes beyond the usual disappointment and later acceptance of our pitiful situation. It’s rage bubbling to the surface.
Between July 2022 and May 2025, it has been reported that the Marcos administration has spent over P545.64 billion across 9,885 flood control projects—P100 billion of which went solely to 15 construction firms. In light of the ongoing controversy, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has also said that he will not allot a budget for flood control projects in 2026 but will instead keep the remaining P350 billion from the 2025 budget for next year.
With billions of pesos stolen, it wouldn’t take a genius to know that these figures amount to a huge sum. But given such obscene numbers, does everyone exactly understand how much this actually is?
Can you visualize just how much P100 billion is? What more P500 billion? We’re not just talking about 40 luxury cars or a fleet of private jets. Instead, we’re contextualizing this stolen wealth in the form of private or even government projects across the world with a similar price tag to the money being spent on flood control.
Why? Not to rub salt into the wound, but this just proves that we aren’t as poor as we’ve been led to believe. We have the money. We’ve always had. It’s just not being allocated to the right people for the job.
So what does billions of pesos look like around the world? Here’s a look.
Grand Egyptian Museum: $1 billion (P57 billion)
Decades in the making, construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza first started in 2005 after Irish firm Heneghan Peng Architects won a design competition held by the Egyptian government in 2003. However, due to setbacks of various origins—from political unrest due to the Arab Spring in 2011 to financial deficits from an affected tourism, museum construction was delayed until it stabilized in 2014.
Now, around two decades since the project first began, the Grand Egyptian Museum has initially opened for limited public viewing in October 2024, with a grand opening coming November of this year.
The museum, at 50 hectares, is said to be the largest in the world dedicated to a single civilization. It is also estimated to have more than 100,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts, including King Tut’s entire treasure collection).
Taipei Performing Arts Center: TWD 6.7 billion (roughly $220 million or P12.6 billion)
The Taipei Performing Arts Center offers untapped potential for the performing arts. Ten years of construction have created a stage, or multiple stages, fit for any production—if such a production has even been thought of.
A spherical 800-seat Globe Playhouse; the Grand Theater with a 1,500-seat capacity; the 800-seat Blue Box; and the Super Theater, which is a combination of the Grand Theater and Blue Box—these configurations offer audiences and productions a mix and match approach to set and stage design.
Seattle Central Library: $165.9 million ($283.8 million or P16.2 billion)
A future-ready literary haven, the Seattle Central Library, which was built in 2004, features a books spiral that allows the library’s collection to be stored on a fluid ramp—a modern take on the typical bookshelf.
This storage system occupies minimal space and allows the library to hold more books than it normally would. The Seattle Central Library initially opened with 780,000 books, and can accommodate growth up to 1,450,000 without the addition of any bookcases.
Xiqu Centre: HK$2.7 billion ($346 million or P19.7 billion)
Opened in 2019, the eight-story Xiqu Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon boasts two theaters (a 1,072-seat grand theater and 200-seat Tea House Theatre for intimate performances), a seminar hall, and eight rehearsal studios. Unfortunately, despite the scale of its facilities, the cultural arts building is facing criticism for its high prices, which can cost as much as $11,000 (around P628.46 million) to rent.
Grand Ring, Osaka: ¥34.4 billion (approximately $230 million or P13.1 billion)
Earning the Guinness World Record as “The largest wooden architectural structure” in March 2025, the Grand Ring in Expo 2025 Osaka was designed by Tokyo and Paris-based architect Sou Fujimoto.
The ring was built through the use of traditional Japanese nuki, which connects the wooden pieces without the use of screws and nails—instead relying on joints to do the job. The architectural marvel uses 70 percent domestic timber, while the remaining 30 percent comes from imported Scots pine.
Expo 2025 Osaka will run until Oct. 13, and the event’s organizers are expected to preserve a section of the Grand Ring after the expo.
