Small Fry in the Net, Sacred Cows on Vacation
By Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — December 26, 2025
THE cosmic joke writes itself, doesn’t it? In September, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., microphone in hand on a podcast, conjured the vivid image of “big fish”—those shadowy operators orchestrating a multibillion-peso kickback scheme in flood control projects. By November 13, he sharpened the promise: “I know before Christmas many of those named here—their case will be finished. They’re going to be locked up. They won’t have a Merry Christmas.” Yet here we are, on December 26, with Christmas come and gone, and not a single high-level official behind bars. The small fry—engineers, contractors—languish in detention, while the named senators and former lawmakers sip their holiday coffee in freedom. Theatrical governance at its finest: bold vows on camera, followed by the quiet retreat into procedural fog.
A Timeline of Diminishing Returns
Let us dissect the promises against the paltry reality. Marcos first invoked the “big fish” metaphor in September, insisting strong evidence was needed for the “ones truly operating this system.” Come November, referring to 37 implicated individuals—including Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, fugitive former Rep. Zaldy Co, former Rep. Mitch Cajayon-Uy, and even Commission on Audit chief Mario Lipana—he declared with certainty that many would be jailed by Christmas.
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) delivered referrals to the Ombudsman. Four criminal cases were filed against over 20 people. Assets frozen, some kickbacks recovered, warrants issued. Progress, the Palace insists. Yet as of December 25, only 23 individuals are detained or in Senate custody for contempt—mostly lower-level DPWH personnel and contractors like Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya. No elected official incarcerated. The administration’s response? Palace press officer Claire Castro appeals for “patience,” touting “necessary actions in just four months” and adherence to due process. Patience, it seems, is the new deadline.
The Stalemate: Symptoms of a Deeper Malaise
This is not mere delay; it reveals systemic fractures.
- The Fugitives: Zaldy Co, a central figure whose company won dubious contracts, fled the country and was declared a fugitive. Warrants exist, but high-value targets vanish—hardly a sign of airtight pursuit, but rather a feature of a system that grants the connected an exit visa before the net tightens.
- The Silence of the Grave: The death of former DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral on December 18 or 19, found after a fall in Benguet, casts a long shadow. Official reports point to suicide, with evidence of injuries from a fall and no foul play. Yet her role as a potential key witness in budget allocations leaves unanswerable questions. Truth, like witnesses, becomes a casualty, stalling narratives and shielding others.
- The Political Theater: Senate and House hearings drag on, rivals trading barbs in a spectacle that defers real accountability. Who benefits from this prolonged drama? Certainly not the public, drowning in floods while politicians posture.
Defense’s and Delusions: Action vs. Excuse
The Palace trots out the familiar shields: due process, constitutional rights, asset freezes, cases filed, comparisons to the inert Duterte era where “not even a single cent” was recovered. Fair points on paper—rushed cases collapse in court. But critics, from the Makabayan bloc to Rep. Eli San Fernando, counter with the stark evidence: missed Christmas deadline, zero high-profile incarcerations, “brains and godfathers” untouched. This is no balanced debate between equal truths. It is action promised versus excuses delivered, with the scale tipping decisively toward the latter.
The Real Cost: Beyond Billions Stolen
The fallout is not abstract ledger entries.
- Politically, Marcos’s anti-corruption brand curdles into a punchline, ripe for opposition ads.
- Practically, billions siphoned mean ghost projects, substandard dikes, and future floods that will claim lives in barangays already weary of promises.
- Morally, the message rings clear: Impunity is purchasable, and the well-connected can afford the premium.
Enough Theater: Specific Demands
Generic calls for reform won’t suffice. The administration must deliver immediacy:
- Publish a public, unredacted week-by-week prosecution roadmap from the ICI or Ombudsman for the top named figures—or admit the obstruction.
- Hold a Palace briefing not for self-congratulation, but to account for four months of specific failures.
- Suspend serving officials implicated, pending investigation; conduct and post online a full audit of the political ties of favored contractors.
President Marcos, the choice is no longer between big fish and small fry. It is between etching your name as a genuine reformer or presiding as ringmaster over the corrupt circus you vowed to dismantle. History—and the flooding barangays—await an answer far more convincing than another press release.
KWEBA ni BAROK 
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