OPINION
Ed Javier
Ping Lacson: The President We Missed, The Leader We Still Need
Photo credit: Ping Lacson
From our quiet provincial town, where mornings begin with roosters crowing and children walking to school, it is easy to think life here is far removed from the rot in Manila.
But then the floods come, swallowing rice fields, entering classrooms, rising inside the homes of ordinary folk. That is when you realize corruption has no borders.
Hundreds of billions stolen from the national budget mean suffering in the countryside. The very people who should protect us are the ones robbing us.
Last week, barely seven weeks after his return to the Senate, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson rose to deliver what may be the most fearless expose we have heard in years.
He laid bare the systematic corruption in flood control projects, where “pie-sharing” is routine.
From a ₱100 million project, even after VAT and insurance, ₱82 million should remain. But after SOPs, 20 to 25 percent for the politician who proposed the project, 8 to 10 percent for DPWH officials, 5 to 6 percent for the Bids and Awards Committee, even 0.5 to 1 percent for COA, the miracle is if 40 percent ever reaches the site.
In Bulacan alone, Lacson revealed 28 cloned flood-control projects, each worth ₱77 million. Wawao Builders bagged ₱5.97 billion. SYMS Construction took ₱931 million.
DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan admitted ghost projects are real. On the ground, district engineers live in mansions, gamble in casinos, and flaunt luxury, driving Lexus SUVs, Toyota Land Cruisers, Ferraris, and even Porsches.
They wear flashy wristwatches, jewelry, and other expensive accessories, while ordinary Filipinos all over the country watch their refrigerators, TVs, and washing machines float away in floodwaters, or suffer from substandard roads and bridges.
Who would forget the image of a PAO lawyer forced to ride a makeshift floater to attend a hearing, while the corrupt pose on social media with super-cars, designer bags, and luxurious vacations?
For every ghost project, there is a real family losing everything. For every kickback pocketed, there is a farmer watching his harvest drown.
If it happens in Bulacan, can we believe it spares Parañaque, Las Piñas, Laguna, Mindoro, Negros or other provinces?
As mentioned before, corruption does not start when cement is poured. It begins at the origin, when projects are identified, when billions are quietly inserted into the budget without study, without scrutiny.
Contractors are merely the last link in a rotten chain.
This is where President Marcos Jr. must be challenged. Naming contractors is a good start, Mr. President, but it is not enough.
The public wants a leader who will truly protect them from abusive legislators who use their power for their own gain.
People expect more than statements of anger. They are waiting for firm action, not just “I am mad,” but “I will punish.”
What makes Lacson’s expose sting is not only the detail, but the credibility of the man saying it.
As PNP Chief, he imposed discipline on a rogue force. Crime fell, scalawags were punished. He refused reward money, saying it was their duty.
In the Senate, he rejected pork barrel and never dipped into public funds. While others grew fat in power, he stayed lean.
That contrast reminds us of the kind of leadership Filipinos crave today: it is disciplined, fearless, incorruptible.
Leadership that goes beyond words, beyond anger, into real accountability.
To his fellow cavaliers, Lacson exemplifies the highest standards of service: a man who lived the code of duty, led with honor, and refused to compromise his principles, no matter the cost.
Everything alright, Sir.
Thank you, Sen. Ping, for your dedication and service to the country.
Bilang panghuli, Mahal na Pangulo, hindi sapat ang galit at salita, gawa ang hinahanap, lalo na ng maralita.
Panagutin mo ang mga abusadong mambabatas at tiwaling opisyal ng gobyerno.
Ipagtanggol mo ang mahigit 100 milyong Pilipino na umaasa sa iyo hindi lamang ang mga taong nakadikit sa iyo.
But then the floods come, swallowing rice fields, entering classrooms, rising inside the homes of ordinary folk. That is when you realize corruption has no borders.
Hundreds of billions stolen from the national budget mean suffering in the countryside. The very people who should protect us are the ones robbing us.
Last week, barely seven weeks after his return to the Senate, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson rose to deliver what may be the most fearless expose we have heard in years.
He laid bare the systematic corruption in flood control projects, where “pie-sharing” is routine.
From a ₱100 million project, even after VAT and insurance, ₱82 million should remain. But after SOPs, 20 to 25 percent for the politician who proposed the project, 8 to 10 percent for DPWH officials, 5 to 6 percent for the Bids and Awards Committee, even 0.5 to 1 percent for COA, the miracle is if 40 percent ever reaches the site.
In Bulacan alone, Lacson revealed 28 cloned flood-control projects, each worth ₱77 million. Wawao Builders bagged ₱5.97 billion. SYMS Construction took ₱931 million.
DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan admitted ghost projects are real. On the ground, district engineers live in mansions, gamble in casinos, and flaunt luxury, driving Lexus SUVs, Toyota Land Cruisers, Ferraris, and even Porsches.
They wear flashy wristwatches, jewelry, and other expensive accessories, while ordinary Filipinos all over the country watch their refrigerators, TVs, and washing machines float away in floodwaters, or suffer from substandard roads and bridges.
Who would forget the image of a PAO lawyer forced to ride a makeshift floater to attend a hearing, while the corrupt pose on social media with super-cars, designer bags, and luxurious vacations?
For every ghost project, there is a real family losing everything. For every kickback pocketed, there is a farmer watching his harvest drown.
If it happens in Bulacan, can we believe it spares Parañaque, Las Piñas, Laguna, Mindoro, Negros or other provinces?
As mentioned before, corruption does not start when cement is poured. It begins at the origin, when projects are identified, when billions are quietly inserted into the budget without study, without scrutiny.
Contractors are merely the last link in a rotten chain.
This is where President Marcos Jr. must be challenged. Naming contractors is a good start, Mr. President, but it is not enough.
The public wants a leader who will truly protect them from abusive legislators who use their power for their own gain.
People expect more than statements of anger. They are waiting for firm action, not just “I am mad,” but “I will punish.”
What makes Lacson’s expose sting is not only the detail, but the credibility of the man saying it.
As PNP Chief, he imposed discipline on a rogue force. Crime fell, scalawags were punished. He refused reward money, saying it was their duty.
In the Senate, he rejected pork barrel and never dipped into public funds. While others grew fat in power, he stayed lean.
That contrast reminds us of the kind of leadership Filipinos crave today: it is disciplined, fearless, incorruptible.
Leadership that goes beyond words, beyond anger, into real accountability.
To his fellow cavaliers, Lacson exemplifies the highest standards of service: a man who lived the code of duty, led with honor, and refused to compromise his principles, no matter the cost.
Everything alright, Sir.
Thank you, Sen. Ping, for your dedication and service to the country.
Bilang panghuli, Mahal na Pangulo, hindi sapat ang galit at salita, gawa ang hinahanap, lalo na ng maralita.
Panagutin mo ang mga abusadong mambabatas at tiwaling opisyal ng gobyerno.
Ipagtanggol mo ang mahigit 100 milyong Pilipino na umaasa sa iyo hindi lamang ang mga taong nakadikit sa iyo.
Aug 25, 2025
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