MANILA, Philippines — As the nation asks why no one has been imprisoned yet in connection with the flood control project scandals despite mounting evidence of corruption, Vice President Sara Duterte could no longer hold back her commentary on the continuing corruption in government.

The Vice President criticized the alleged lack of accountability of some officials despite discovered anomalies in budgets from previous years. 

According to VP Duterte, government agencies have long known who is behind the budget irregularities, but until now, no one has been punished for them.

"Nalalaman natin hindi lang pala 'yung 2025 budget ang mayroong problema - 2024, as early as 2023 ay mayroon nang nakitang mga anomalya doon sa budget. So alam na natin na mayroong problema sa budget. Alam na natin kung sino yung mga tao na may kagagawan noong anomalya, korapsyon sa ating budget pero hanggang ngayon ay wala pa rin nananagot. Puro lang ating investigation."

["We know it's not just the 2025 budget that has problems — 2024, as early as 2023, anomalies were already found in the budget. So we already know there's a problem with the budget. We already know who the people are behind these anomalies and corruption in our budget, but until now, no one has been held accountable. It's all just investigations,"] Duterte stated.

The Vice President also revealed that irregularities were found not only in the 2025 budget but also in the 2024 and 2023 budgets, suggesting a pattern of systematic corruption spanning multiple fiscal years rather than isolated incidents.

Her pointed remarks come as multiple flood control project cases undergo investigation, with officials identified and evidence documented, yet no significant arrests or convictions have materialized.

This criticism reflects growing public frustration over the seemingly endless cycle of investigations that fail to result in the actual imprisonment of those responsible.

Duterte's comments highlight the fundamental question many Filipinos are asking: If the government knows who is responsible for the flood control project corruption and other budget anomalies, with evidence spanning multiple years, why hasn't anyone been jailed?

The flood control scandals alone involve hundreds of millions of pesos in questionable transactions, with contractors, government officials, and lawmakers implicated in the schemes. Despite this apparent evidence and the identification of those allegedly responsible, the judicial process has yet to deliver the accountability that both officials and citizens demand.

With three years of documented budget anomalies now under scrutiny, fifteen flood control cases in various stages of investigation, and the Ombudsman preparing to file charges while others have already fled abroad, the Philippine justice system faces a credibility crisis. 

The pattern has become predictable. Scandal breaks, investigations launch, names surface, hearings convene, then silence. 

Meanwhile, the accused remain FREE, some even LEAVING the country unimpeded despite being persons of interest.

For a nation where public infrastructure funds meant to protect communities from flooding instead of lining private pockets, the frustration remains. 

The question that haunts every new revelation is no longer just about who is guilty, but whether the system itself is capable of delivering justice, or if investigations have become the endpoint rather than the beginning of accountability.

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