Floods, Fraud, and Favors: Escudero’s P142.7B Betrayal of the Poor

Louis ‘Barok‘ C .Biraogo — July 26, 2025

THE barbarians aren’t at the gates—they’re lounging in the Senate, sipping from a chalice of public funds. Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, with the finesse of a seasoned illusionist, has conjured P142.7 billion in budget insertions for the 2025 Philippine national budget. This isn’t just a fiscal sleight of hand; it’s a masterclass in political theater, where the poor are unwitting extras in a tragedy scripted for the powerful.

The Ghastly Playbook: Escudero’s Pork Parade

Escudero’s modus operandi reads like a pirate’s map to buried treasure—except the X marks Bulacan, Sorsogon, and Davao, and the loot is taxpayer money. A leaked 103-page document reveals the heist:

P12 billion for Bulacan, home of loyalist Joel Villanueva;
P9.1 billion for Escudero’s own Sorsogon, conveniently timed for his reelection fund;
P7.2 billion for “Davao,” a nebulous entry greasing the wheels for Bong Go’s 2028 presidential dreams.

The document even boasts a P3 billion line item labeled “Projects for Bong Go”—a loyalty rewards program so blatant it might as well come with a Duterte family crest.

These aren’t projects; they’re political IOUs. Bulacan gets:

P2.9 billion for “flood control” that’s as tangible as a mirage;
P3.6 billion for buildings that could double as campaign headquarters;
P2.3 billion for streetlights—because nothing says “public service” like illuminating highways with gold-plated bulbs.

Sorsogon’s P4.4 billion for “multipurpose halls” screams rally venues, not community needs. And those “nationwide” flood control projects? They’re as specific as a fortune cookie, with no hazard maps or engineering plans to back them up. Whole numbers—P100 million here, P100 million there—dance across the budget like confetti, mocking the precision of actual cost estimates. Splitting roads into “Segments A-D” is just the cherry on top, a tired trick to dodge audit thresholds. Who knew “flood control” could mean a deluge of cash into allies’ pockets?

The Farce of Defenses: Escudero’s Smoke and Mirrors

Escudero’s defense is a script straight from the political playbook:

“The bicameral process is sacred!” he proclaims, as if secrecy is a constitutional virtue.
Never mind the Supreme Court’s 2013 Belgica ruling, which gutted pork barrel for its stench of patronage—Escudero insists his P142.7 billion is just legislative housekeeping.
Ah, the classic “nothing illegal” defense—because in Philippine politics, ethics are as decorative as a Marcos war medal.

Then there’s the “development priorities” excuse. Sorsogon’s P4.4 billion for buildings is apparently more urgent than, say, restoring the slashed health budget. Because who needs hospitals when you’ve got multipurpose halls to host political fiestas? Escudero expects us to believe this jackpot just happened to land in swing-vote senators’ districts—a cosmic coincidence rivaling papal infallibility. And when pressed, he hides behind the enrolled bill, claiming no “blank items” survive the final cut. Tell that to the duplicated road packages and ghost flood projects, which vanish faster than transparency in a Senate hearing.

The Poor as Collateral Damage: A Flood of Injustice

While Tropical Storm Crising drowns villages, Escudero’s “nationwide” flood projects are as visible as a unicorn in a Senate session. The only thing rising faster than floodwaters are the kickback percentages. That P142.7 billion could’ve funded:

Four years of free college for 1.4 million students;
10 million PhilHealth premiums for the poorest Filipinos.

Instead, it’s a slush fund for political dynasties, leaving the marginalized to wade through the wreckage of broken promises.

This isn’t just theft—it’s a betrayal of democracy’s promise. When the Senate President monetizes impeachment votes, the poor get a front-row seat to their own funeral. Every peso diverted to a ghost project is a peso stolen from a classroom, a hospital bed, or a flood barrier that might’ve saved a barangay. The message is clear: in Escudero’s Senate, loyalty trumps lives.

Recommendations with Teeth: Slaying the Pork Dragon

To end this farce, sunlight is the best disinfectant. The Philippines needs:

A real-time, BOOST-style budget portal—think World Bank open-data models—where every peso is geotagged and traceable.
No more “nationwide” nonsense; every project must have engineering specs and hazard maps, or it’s dead on arrival.
The Supreme Court should extend Belgica to torch bicameral insertions—lump sums are the cockroaches of corruption, scuttling to the next loophole when exposed.
Filipinos must weaponize COA reports like pitchforks, demanding accountability as fiercely as they dodge floodwaters.

Escudero’s “transparency” is as genuine as a Marcos war medal—citizens need armor, not platitudes.

Chiz Escudero’s Pork Barrel Bingo

Ghost Project	Quid Pro Quo	Whole Number Magic
Nationwide Flood Control	Bulacan Bonanza	P100M Streetlights
Segmented Roads A-D	Sorsogon Slush Fund	“Projects for Bong Go”
Multipurpose Halls Galore	Davao Deal	No Hazard Maps
Free space: “It’s all legal!”

Free space: “It’s all legal!”

Closing Flourish: A Betrayal Dressed in Budget Ink

Escudero’s insertions aren’t just a scandal—they’re a dagger in the heart of democracy. While the poor drown in Crising’s floods, senators float on yachts of pork, toasting their own ambition. If rigging the budget to buy votes and secure power isn’t impeachable, the word has lost all meaning. The Philippines deserves better than a Senate that treats public funds like a personal ATM. It’s time to drain the swamp—or at least stop calling it “flood control.”