Public outrage over a massive flood-control bribery scandal appears to be waning, with a recent protest drawing far fewer participants than the massive rallies seen last year. This growing apathy unfolds as the central figure in the case, resigned lawmaker Zaldy Co, remains safely beyond reach in Portugal, shielded from Philippine authorities.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, and the Office of the Ombudsman had all vowed that major figures would face justice by the end of 2025. Yet, three months into 2026, those promises remain unfulfilled. Three senators implicated in Senate hearings continue their duties without consequence, while former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, a presidential cousin linked to the affair, has faced no real penalty after a largely symbolic resignation.
"There appears to be no sense of urgency," said Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco last week, highlighting the stalled pursuit of Co. Tiangco has filed a resolution calling for a House inquiry to scrutinize the status of the arrest warrant and the government's apparent inaction.
"Whose agency should be responsible for cases such as this?" Tiangco questioned, pointing to conflicting statements between the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Department of Foreign Affairs over which body holds primary responsibility for executing warrants abroad.
The lawmaker's resolution seeks to clarify jurisdictional procedures and identify potential legislative loopholes that allow wealthy, powerful individuals to evade justice by fleeing to countries without extradition treaties with the Philippines. He argues the case exposes a critical lack of defined institutional cooperation.
"Given the magnitude of the alleged flood control anomalies, there is a compelling need for the cooperation and active involvement of multiple agencies to effect legal process against fugitives from justice," Tiangco emphasized.
So far, accountability has been limited to some private contractors and mid-level officials; no sitting lawmakers have been arrested. Meanwhile, in the Senate, the Blue Ribbon Committee's effort to advance a report recommending charges against three incumbent senators is stalled, having secured only four of the nine signatures needed to move to a full Senate vote.
A group of lawyers recently petitioned the Supreme Court to force the release of the committee's draft report. However, with the Senate deeply divided along political lines, its credibility in pursuing justice is widely seen as compromised. If true accountability is to be salvaged from this scandal, legal experts suggest the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman must now act with decisive and urgent independence.