A perfect Christmas gift: Accountability and corruption-free governance
December has finally arrived, which means the spirit of Christmas is in full display. For Filipinos, this is a most cherished season to show gratitude and love through gift-giving. This tradition is rooted in the selfless acts of Jesus Christ, who came into the world as a gift of salvation to humanity.
From that single act of generosity, we Filipinos learned to extend our blessings to others in tangible ways. Many of us may be hoping for new shoes, a gadget, clothes, jewelry, or even cash as presents. These simple wishes reflect the excitement we look forward to each year. But as we celebrate, we are also reminded that not all gifts come wrapped in joy. This year, the country unexpectedly unwrapped a series of corruption scandals after enduring catastrophic flooding in the past few months.
A viral Facebook image showed graffiti that reads, “Corruption kills,” along with illustrations depicting people drowning in floods. After drawing public attention, the message was covered with black paint. The property owner wants to file a police blotter report for the vandalism. They may have erased the slogan, but they cannot erase the truth: corruption has claimed lives and property. No resiliency can hide the devastation that victims of systemic corruption have experienced.
A month after the onslaught of Typhoon “Tino” in Cebu, the scars of corruption are still painfully visible. Many residents remain in evacuation centers with no homes to return to. Survivors are still grieving lost loved ones, while several remain missing and others scrape thick mud from their homes. Others comb through the debris, hoping to salvage whatever belongings survived the flash flood, while power and water supply have yet to be fully restored. Celebrating Christmas feels impossible when starting over from almost nothing is a daily struggle.
The irony is that Cebu has secured 414 flood control projects worth P26.7 billion from 2022 to 2025, the second nationwide in the number of flood control projects. Yet when Tino struck, they still faced one of the worst floods in recent memory, which made me rethink the efficiency of the flood control projects implemented. This is a clear manifestation that corruption left communities fatally vulnerable during disasters.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration, floods are a natural part of the water cycle, but with the right measures, their damage can be minimized. Much of the tragedy could have been avoided if the allocated budget had all been poured into building quality, resilient infrastructure and strengthening disaster preparedness. Instead, they let the public suffer nature’s wrath for their own gain.
Millions of Filipinos trusted the current administration to fulfill its promise of “Bagong Pilipinas.” But after the corruption controversies erupted, Filipinos from different sectors have taken to the streets in protest. Demonstrations, such as the Trillion Peso March, the Baha sa Luneta rally, and the Sugboanong Pakigbisog Kontra Korapsyon, all demand an end to corruption. The persistent misuse of public funds has eroded public trust deeply. What should have been a season of love, joy, and hope has become a season of anger, frustration, and disillusionment toward the government.
With Christmas Day around the corner, those officials implicated in corruption allegations are still not in jail. By delaying the investigations, they are also denying justice to us. But the destruction wrought by corruption cannot, and will not, be ignored from now on. No holiday exempts us from calling for their imprisonment. As communities continue to recover, they too cannot wait any longer. If there is a perfect Christmas gift that we Filipinos rightfully deserve, it is accountability, justice, and a future where corruption no longer steals our hope.
Gervie Vidal Paluga,
University of the Philippines Cebu
