No mercy.

 Breaking : 

The House Is on Fire: A Nation’s Reckoning with Corruption

By Dr. Tony Leachon

The President cried last night. But by morning, he had left the country again. And while he grieves, the house continues to burn.

This is not a metaphor. It is a national emergency.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), once a pillar of infrastructure and progress, now stands accused of harboring systemic corruption. 

The numbers are staggering: ₱450 billion in budget insertions for 2025—unvetted, unaccounted, and allegedly weaponized for personal gain. 

These are not just line items. 

They are political favors disguised as development. The people are not just angry. They are betrayed.

Secretary Vince Dizon’s recent meeting with former DPWH heads Rogelio Singson and Ping de Jesus revealed what many have long suspected: the rot runs deep. Insertions by members of Congress and the Senate have turned the national budget into a playground for patronage. 

Projects are carved out of the National Expenditure Program and replaced with local insertions during the transition to the General Appropriations Act—often without the knowledge or consent of DPWH leadership. These insertions are not benign. They are engineered to enrich a few and defraud the many.

District engineers like Henry Alcantara have signed off on ghost projects—roads that do not exist, bridges that were never built, flood control systems in areas that never flood. The paper trails are pristine. The physical evidence is absent. And the money is gone.

Rep. Zaldy Co, former appropriations chair, has vanished from public view. His absence during this crisis is deafening. If he is truly ill, let him present a medical certificate. If not, let him face the nation. Speaker Martin Romualdez and Senate President Chiz Escudero must answer for the actions of their chambers. The chairs of the appropriations committees in the 19th Congress must be named. Silence is complicity.

Even within the executive branch, questions linger. Cabinet members who approved or ignored these insertions must be investigated. 

The President’s tears are not enough. Accountability must follow emotion. We cannot afford sentiment without action. 

We cannot comfortably pay taxes knowing they will be stolen. 

We cannot allow the enablers of corruption—whether in Congress, the Senate, or the Executive—to hide behind silence and procedure.

The people demand names. 

They demand justice. 

They demand a purge.

We must act now. Not tomorrow. Not after another flood. Not after another ghost project. 

Let us begin with full disclosure: publish a comprehensive list of all budget insertions, their authors, and the corresponding projects. 

Let us initiate independent audits and cyber forensics. 

Secure government-issued devices. Request bank secrecy waivers. Preserve evidence before it disappears.

Let us remove district engineers and contractors linked to ghost projects. 

File criminal charges. No mercy for repeat offenders. 

Let us investigate appropriations chairs and bicameral committee members. 

Demand public hearings and sworn testimonies. 

Let us conduct a performance audit of all cabinet members. 

Remove enablers. 

Appoint reformists with proven integrity. 

Let us create a publicly accessible dashboard tracking infrastructure projects, budget allocations, and completion status. Let the people see where their money goes.

We are not asking for miracles. We are demanding justice.

The Filipino people are resilient—but they are not fools. 

They see through the flood control schemes, the ghost roads, the missing officials. 

They pay their taxes not to fund corruption, but to build a nation worthy of their children.

This is our moment to reset. 

To cleanse. 

To rebuild.

Let the President return not with tears, but with resolve. 

Let the DPWH become a symbol of reform, not rot. 

Let Congress and the Senate name names, face the people, and restore trust. 

And let every Filipino know: we are not powerless. We are the fire that purifies. We are the voice that demands truth. We are the nation that will rise—not despite corruption, but because we chose to confront it.

No mercy. 

No compromise. 

Only courage.

#RelentlessForChange

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Tony Leachon