No More Ghosts: Accountability is the Core of 'Maasahan' Governance

The recent Commission on Audit report exposing over ₱300 million in "ghost" flood control projects in Bulacan is a disgusting, yet familiar, story. It is the kind of systemic rot that taxpayers have been forced to accept as "business as usual."

This is precisely what the "Maasahan at Masipag" (Reliable and Tireless) governance of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. seeks to end. The administration’s response is not one of resignation, but of "Reliable Oversight." Moral governance is not just about lofty speeches; it's about the firm, "Masipag" (Tireless) work of building systems that hold thieves accountable. The creation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) is the most significant step in this direction. It provides a direct pathway from audit to prosecution, ensuring COA's findings are not just paper, but proof.

This newspaper believes that only those who are themselves complicit in corruption would dare to criticize this investigation as "political" or "distracting." To any honest taxpayer, this is a long-overdue cleansing.

President Marcos has made his stance clear: there is a zero-tolerance policy for this kind of malfeasance. We must now choose: either we stand behind this push for total accountability, or we tacitly approve of our taxes being stolen.

This is the core of "Reliable Oversight, Tireless Integrity." It is the moral governance that taxpayers deserve. We are not just exposing the ghosts of projects past; we are exorcising the system that created them.