State of the Nation Journal

State of the Nation Journal: Drowning in Billions, Still Drowning in Floods

How can a country spend almost two trillion pesos on flood control and still leave millions of Filipinos suffering every storm? That question keeps echoing in my mind. Every rainy season, we already expect flooded streets, students wading in water, families trying to save their belongings. But now, after the scandal was exposed, I cannot help but think that it’s not only nature that makes us suffer. It’s also the leaders who were supposed to protect us but chose greed instead.

I live here in the Philippines, and I have felt this problem myself. I remember walking home one rainy afternoon. The water rose so quickly that the whole street turned into a river. My classmates and I had to roll up our pants and carry our shoes in plastic bags. Some laughed to make it lighter, but deep inside, we were tired of this happening again and again. When I got home, my parents looked at me, wet and muddy, and said, “Ganito na lang ba palagi? Wala bang pagbabago?” That night, when I saw the news about DPWH officials hiding corruption in flood projects, I felt angry. I realized that we are not only victims of floods. We are victims of corruption.

The Scandal We Face

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is supposed to protect us from disasters. But investigations revealed the truth. Some engineers bought luxury cars. Some projects were left unfinished. Others collapsed even though they were newly built. Projects like the Arayat riverbank, the Lourdes dike, and the General Santos underpass should have saved lives. Instead, they became symbols of wasted money and broken promises. When I read this, I felt that our leaders are not really thinking of us. They are only thinking of themselves.

The Money That Should Have Saved Us

We cannot ignore the numbers. Around P545 billion was spent in just three years for flood control. Since 2011, almost P1.9 trillion has been used. That is such a huge amount. If we think about it, that money could have built more schools, hospitals, and safer houses. It could have given us better drainage in our communities. But what do we see? Every storm, people still climb to rooftops, students still miss school, families still lose their small businesses. For me, these numbers are not just money. They are proof that our future is being wasted.

Unfair Distribution of Funds

What makes this worse is how unfair the distribution is. Provinces like Nueva Ecija and Maguindanao, which always face floods, got less money. But places like Bulacan and Cebu, where politicians are strong, received more. As students, we can clearly see the injustice. Money goes where it can buy votes, not where it can save lives. We are left asking, do our leaders even care about the people who lose their homes every storm? Or do they only care about staying in power?

Who Should Answer?

I believe both lawmakers and DPWH officials should be held accountable. Lawmakers request projects in their provinces for political gain. DPWH then carries them out poorly or not at all. In the end, it is we, the ordinary citizens, who suffer. Accountability is always promised, but nothing happens. As a young Filipino, I feel like corruption has become a cycle. Leaders steal, investigations start, then nothing changes. And while they play with power, we live with the floods.

The People Stand Together

Still, we are not silent. On September 21, during the anniversary of Martial Law, thousands of people went to the streets. They carried signs that said “Where did the money go?” and “Stop drowning us in lies.” Groups like “Baha sa Luneta” and “Trillion Peso March” raised their voices. When I saw pictures of the protest, I felt hope. Even if I wasn’t there, I knew that many of us share the same pain and anger. If I could have joined, I would have held a sign that read: “Our money, our lives, our future.” In moments like this, I see that we, the people, are stronger when we unite.

My Reflection as a Student

As I write this, I feel both frustrated and determined. I am frustrated because I know that floods will keep coming, and I know that corruption makes it worse. But I am also determined because I believe that speaking up matters. We, the youth, cannot just accept things the way they are. If we do, we will keep suffering the same way our parents did, and nothing will change for the next generation. This issue shows me that corruption is not just about money, it’s about lives, safety, and the future of our country.

Conclusion

This scandal is not just about wasted money or broken projects. It is about broken trust, broken safety, and broken lives. As I think of it, I cannot help but feel the weight of being a young Filipino in a country where leaders choose themselves over the people. Every peso that was stolen from us is not just money, it is food that could have fed hungry families, medicine that could have saved lives, classrooms that could have given Filipino children hope. Every failed project is not just cement and steel, it is a symbol of promises made but never kept.

I feel angry because I know we deserve better. We, the students, the workers, the parents, the children, we are the ones paying the price. We are the ones who walk in floods, who lose our homes, who restart from nothing after every storm. And yet, those who should protect us stand on high ground, untouched by the water, untouched by our suffering. How can this be fair? How long must we carry this burden?

But I also feel hope, because I believe that silence is no longer an option. I believe in the power of voices, even small ones like mine. We may not have billions, but we have truth. We may not sit in offices, but we walk in the flooded streets. We may be young, but we are not blind. And one day, it will be us who decide what kind of country this will be.

From the bottom of my heart, I know this: we cannot let corruption drown us forever. We cannot keep accepting leaders who treat our safety as business. If we stay quiet, we will sink deeper. But if we stand together, if we demand better, if we never forget what has been stolen, then there is hope that one day, the floods will not control us anymore. One day, we will rise above them, not only with stronger walls, but with stronger leaders and stronger trust.

Because in the end, the greatest flood is corruption, and the strongest barrier is the people who choose to fight it.

Written by:

Jeza Mae E. Siguenza, 

a Grade 11 student in the Philippines who aims to raise awareness on national issues through writing.