Rouge the Mud and Dye the Flood

 

Gold-toothed evangelicals and beta bigots are entering psychosis while the masses forge the copper towards an imminent burst! Adrenaline has never felt this good!


The Swines of Ill-gotten Privilege


Recent discussions have erupted over “ghost” flood control projects insinuated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his last State of the Nation Address (SONA), as the masses trail the involved contractors’ families while the senate zeroed in on the investigation. As the outrage ensues, many have questioned the ethics of publicly soliciting accountability from the children of these businessmen and politicians, as many have expressed being affected by the hate. But all of these sentiments seem to imply the fog of where their guilt lies, because is it merely by association or for doing the deed?


Out of the 2,409 contracting entities slated for the flood control projects with a 500-billion-peso budget, 15 contractors have monopolized 20% or 100 billion pesos of the slated funds, which prompted the investigation after Marcos fronted the anomaly in his last SONA. The president stated that he was “not accusing anyone of anything yet,” but initial findings of the audit he ordered gave “an idea of how these have been conducted.” This rationale cued the “lifestyle check,” as instructed by Marcos, especially for the involved contractors and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).


Consequently, Claudine Co—daughter of Christoher Co, who co-owns Hi-Tone Construction and Development Corporation, and niece of Zaldy Co, representative of the Ako Bicol Party-list and owner of Sunwest Inc., two of the top contractors for the flood control projects—has recently been the epicenter of the quake, as her well-documented lavish lifestyle raises questions. Claudine has gained influence in social media through her fashion and lifestyle content, from donning label goods sold by luxury brands to jet travels to provinces and even overseas. Her best friend, Stephanie Cojuangco, has recently stepped forward in her defense, as Claudine now suffers from anxiety and depression, claiming to be oblivious to the ghost projects being investigated involving her family. However, should this obliviousness be enough to sedate the masses from the rage they feel after their taxes seem to have gone to the wrong hands?


Additionally, Claudine is also the girlfriend of Lemeul Lubiano, brother of Lawrence Lubiano, President of Centerways Construction and Development Incorporated, which is ranked 7th on Malacañang’s list of flood control project contractors. Lawrence is also said to be the son of Walter Lubiano, a former DPWH district engineer from Sorsogon City. The couple has risen to scrutiny after one of Co’s vlogs featured them flying on a private jet to La Union and purchasing a bichon at allegedly 380,000 thousand pesos. Furthermore, Lawrence Lubiano was also recorded to be Senator Chiz Escudero’s biggest campaign donor in the 2022 elections. Despite denying any involvement with the investigated deals, Escudero’s integrity remains questionable as his wife, Heart Evangelista, lives a lavish lifestyle that fronts magazines but is not among the top celebrity taxpayers in the country; despite coming from a wealthy clan and marrying into a senator’s family. That same list had previously featured figures like Kris Aquino, who also came from a political family, being the daughter and sister of former presidents Corazon Aquino and Benigno Aquino III, respectively.


As the investigation progresses, Sarah Discaya—owner of nine construction firms that bid for the projects and infamous for owning numerous luxury SUVs in a sprawling garage—has revealed to have started in the business in 2016 after being probed by Senator Bato dela Rosa. This has now caused the assumption of the previous administration’s involvement whose term started the same year. With the said “mishap” of the senator in his questioning, given his very public relationship with former president Rodrigo Duterte, currently detained by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for his crimes against humanity, the conversation has now extended towards Duterte’s daughter, Veronica “Kitty” Duterte’s lifestyle who previously trended in social media after her private Instagram stories leaked, showing her smoking marijuana overseas, which is illegal to consume in our country. 


The matter cannot sit idly in the face of a country whose public officials are expected to lead modest lives according to the Republic Act (RA) No. 6714 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. The families themselves should already be liable for questioning, justifying the outcry of the masses. But the involvement of multiple corporations amidst the current ruckus of the perpetual corruption crisis? The fury is beyond warranted—it should simply be reflex.


Moreover, a “lifestyle check” spearheaded by the country’s rudimentary conception of what a nepo baby is will never earn the moral high chair in a heavily surveilled modernity. Virtue signalling is technically impossible when your seat resides in hell—I mean, there is barely enough reception in the flood-prone areas not included in the top 10 beneficiaries for flood control projects, according to the National Adaptation Plan of the Philippines (2023 to 2050). Marcos has yet to even pay 204 billion pesos worth of estate taxes towards the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and the Presidential Commission on Good Government has also yet to recover 125 billion pesos from the family.


They are not guilty by association, they are guilty in execution of the deeds. Be it Claudine Co’s label mania or Veronica Duterte’s passport-dependent weed, the luxury afforded by these people may be argued to be within their right as free citizens. However, the question stands in their relations with not only political figures, but with corrupt political officials amassing hefty funds whose whereabouts are yet to be determined.


These creatures are neither minors nor ignorant—heck, even juvenile laws in the country start sanctioning at age 15—and yet we are meant to sympathize with people suffering from anxiety and depression from being criticized for flaunting off-season Chanel through unchecked resources? Just who does Stephanie Cojuangco think the Filipino people are? Meanwhile, the Mental Health Act of 2017 has yet to sow its seeds in service to the evidently growing mental health crisis in the country, especially for those who can barely buy food to get through the day.


Most of these people represent the higher class who can never clothe themselves with the musings of those in systemic poverty. We cannot rely on democratic figures like Vico Sotto, who has discouraged harm over the people protesting at the gates of the Discayas, or Emman Atienza from the Atienza clan, famously known for articulating herself well among various social topics, excluding herself from the conversation. They are now not on trial for being guilty by association or deed; they are simply guilty. Not unless they offer enough physical and moral incentive to compensate the marginalized can they be absolved from the verdict. 


Divisoria Thriller


As the stories evolve remarkably fast, with parallels among neighboring countries like Indonesia—which led deadly protests in response to the cost-of-living crisis, with five ministers reportedly replaced already—Nepal has also gained attention for their demonstrations against an eerily similar case in the Philippines: the public’s frustration with the alleged mismanagement of funds and displays of wealth by politicians and their families. Loosely named the “Gen Z protests,” after being led by young anti-corruption protesters, the mobs have since burned the parliament and literally thrown their Finance Minister into the river after stripping him of his clothes and his position. After overthrowing the government, France 24 reports the country is now seeking a new leader to fill the political vacuum. 


With the news of the violence sweeping across the world, these demonstrations have caused great anxiety among people, especially those aware enough to be targets of unrest. Recently, Forbes Park, a gated enclave of the country’s wealthiest families in Makati, has urged tighter security in fear of being targeted by the mob-style attacks. Bilyonaryo reports the tension building among residents, asking the homeowner’s association and barangay officials to bolster safety measures after warnings of protests that might flood their gates. 


Furthermore, the internet is again set ablaze at the news of American conservative propagandist Charlie Kirk’s death after being sniped at a college speaking event in Utah. A victim of his own gummy principles, Kirk rose to infamy for his racism, misogyny, devotion for US President Donald Trump, and persistent advocacy of the right to bear arms, among many others. His sudden death could not be more timely in an already burning status quo, as he symbolizes the very lapse of his own cross and what this demonstrates to his corrupted audience and the leftist spectators. 


In the flurry of the west’s continuing colony over social media, news of Kirk’s death has unearthed the agitated evangelicals among friends and family as well as the country’s richer public figures like Hayden Kho, Anthony Pangilinan, Toni Gonzaga, Matteo Guidicelli, among many others, who took to social media their grief over the loss of the wide-faced Republican. Discourse surrounding Kirk’s career has always involved assaulting minority groups, with evident aggressions against queer and people of color, who are now being listed as potential adjectives in pursuit of the culprit.


And while the news seems distant from the reality the country is now facing, the influence and significance of threatening and successfully taking down powers that actively constrict the lives of minorities allow the illustration of what the masses can do to reclaim what has been deprived from them. We may not know the motives behind Kirk’s death with the shooter still at large, but we learned from Luigi Mangione's actions that tearing down oppression, regardless of motives and the degree of relativity in their cause, increases the morale of the voiceless and permits them to express frustration.


To dismiss the growing movement in the country as ‘mob-mentality’ is to dismiss the people in unrest as dogs. We must give credit to the growing consciousness among people given the overstimulation of all the fiasco’s coverage. Besides, given this dire state of affairs, it is high time for a march to emerge.


Rouge The Mud and Dye the Flood


The keyboard movement is futile as those liable start to erase their footprint in the online space and bury the existing table of exchange that seeks their accountability: Claudine Co deleting content, the Discayas hiding their luxury cars, and even Kitty Duterte, who has resorted to advocating for her parent has morphed into some weirdly angsty cult symbol for her father’s followers, effectively burying her past lavish endeavors with a new controversy, much like the surge of data traffic after Kirk’s death, dividing the attention of civilians ready to mobilize their fury. It is important that we keep the clamor rising and keep it tight. We keep it tight to direct the mass emotion towards more meaningful change beyond the fad of online cancel culture.


The rock is in our hands. Let us take advantage of the adrenaline and evolve the discussion towards action. We cannot dismiss the spectacle as a mere timestamp on the internet; it is symptomatic of a deeper rot in society which will continue its decay if the masses befall to their naive charades—especially with the circus that is the senate, the mania of disturbed rich titas, and church bros. The flood of ill-willed governance has long stagnated the progress this country needs to survive. Beyond uncompromised investigations, independent audits, and actual quality outputs, let us hold a more vigilant perspective towards the movement of those handling the case, our taxes, our country, our lives. We are done soliciting initiatives from those elected to serve that purpose; it is time for us to initiate instead. 



Editorial and Cartoon by Princess Linda